Final Straw
by Kuroi-Yasha
Summary: Through hardship comes hope. However hope tends to just make your eventual fall that much more painful. Soon, he will take matters into his own hands...then he will show them how much of a demon he really is.
1. Crack in the Mask pt1

**Kuroi-Yasha: Hello to all. After about two years of not writing anything I have decided to try my hand at a Naruto Fanfiction. Though I don't think I'll be very good, I would appreciate it if you could give all the support and helpful criticism that you can. Thank you. This will eventually be a Naru/Hina fic, so if you don't like that type of paring you'd best stop reading, I have no intention of changing it. Also near the middle of the chapter I will be adding some OC's so, please tell me if you like them or not, they will not have chapters about themselves and they won't be some super powerful god-like OC's but I think they will make the story interesting there will only be two in this chapter, but more are soon to come Evil Chuckle. Again thank you to those who took the time to read this and I hope you enjoy the story.**

**DISCLAMER: I **_**DO NOT **_**IN ANY WAY SHAPE OR FORM OWN **_Naruto_**! If I DID, I wouldn't want him anyway, only Hinata. Oh come on, like you wouldn't want her? Also, I do not own **_**Tear Away **_**by Drowning Pool. But I do own a copy of their Album.**

_**Final Straw**__  
By:_ _Kuroi-Yasha  
_**Chapter 1: Crack in the Mask (Part 1)**

_I'm Tearing Away...  
...Pieces are falling I can't seem to make them stay..._

--

"God damn demon!"

"Get the fuck out of here! Nobody wants you here!"

"Just do us all a favor and die!"

"Worthless scum!"

The curses followed him everywhere. No matter where he went, what he did, or how hard he tried, the responses never changed. It had always been like this, as long as he could remember. The young blond flinched as a bottle was thrown at him followed by cursing as he managed to avoid the bottle. _'Why...? What have I done to them?'_ The eight year old child wondered as he began to sprint away from the man who had picked up another empty sake bottle. Though the child couldn't comprehend the hostility from the villagers, he had learned that no one in the village could be trusted, not the merchants, not the ninja, and especially not the villagers. He grimaced as the wound on his shoulder opened up again, no one could be trusted.

He ran quickly, holding his wounded shoulder as he made for his small, shabby, and filthy space he called an apartment, however fate was once again against him it seemed. Turning the corner he stopped as he spotted a group of leaf shinobi leaving a local restaurant that was famous for its food, but even more famous for its cheap sake.

"Hey, looky h're!" One of the leaf nin slurred as he elbowed one of his companions, nearly knocking him over in the process. "Eh?" The nin frowned as he tried to focus on the figure of the trembling child, "Well well, if it ain't the demon brat. What the fuck you doing here punk? Ain't you had enough of an ass kickin'? You back for mo' a'eady?" The child trembled as he took a step backwards. "Huh? I can't hear you little bitch? ANSWER MY FUCKING QUESTION!!" A soft swish of wind was all that Naruto heard before pain shot thru his body, looking down he saw a kunai protruding out of his frail arm. Not even pausing to think the blond took of running, "KILL THE FUCKING THING BEFORE IT ESCAPES!!" The lead nin roared as they took of after the child.

_'No...not again...I didn't do anything! Why kami-sama...?' _Naruto ran as fast as his small legs could take him, he passed the Memorial Stone as he made his way towards the Hokage Monument, the path was usually very densely forested so if he could make it there then he might just be able to escape them. A flash of movement to his left distracted him as one of the shinobi appeared in front of him and swung at him. Bringing his hands in front of him Naruto tried to block the punch, but his defense was crushed pathetically as the strength of the older man easily broke his arm and sent the frail child flying. Naruto was in so much pain that he couldn't even scream, but even so, his instincts took over as he dove forward into the dense shrubs of the forest only to be sent flying back by a rough kick. "AAAAHHHH!!" The wounded Naruto cried as he clutched the broken arm he had brutally landed on after the kick. "THE FUCK DID YOU THINK YOU W'RE GOIN'?" The enraged man yelled as he kicked the defenseless child, eliciting more screams of pain from the child. Soon enough his companions joined him as they all took turns beating the hapless child. Panting the nin smirked at each other before two of them took a few steps away from the child. The third's smile widened significantly as he slowly drew a kunai from his pouch, "Well, that was fun but we gotta kill you now before them demon loving ANBU show up." Grasping the semi-conscious child's blood stained hair he pulled his hand back, "SEE YOU IN HELL DEMON!!" Naruto closed his eyes as he saw the blade approach his throat.

--

_'My body feels so light...is this what death is like_?' in the background he could hear voices and a slight sound of...gurgling_? 'What..._?' Slowly Naruto's eyes opened as he was was brought face to face with his blood soaked would-be-murderer's face. If he could have Naruto would have leapt away, but the most he could manage was a slight gasp as he took in the man's final look of surprise and saw a kunai embedded in the man's throat. Forcing his head to move Naruto saw the retreating forms of his other attackers and in front of him stood a dark cloaked figure with a mask. Turning, Naruto could see it was the mask made after a kitsune that belonged to the ninja elite of Konohagakure, the ANBU. Slowly the nin began to make his (Naruto assumed it was a he) way towards the blond. Naruto closed his eyes as he awaited the death that was surely about to come, if the regular shinobi were this brutal, he couldn't imagine what the elite nin of the village was going to do to him. Instead however he felt the kitsune ANBU kneel next to him and slowly begin to pick him up. Surprised, and untrusting the child began to squirm in hopes of getting away, "_N-no...I-I don't w-w-wanna die...o-onegai...(please)" _The ANBU stopped for a moment but then instead placed a hand on the child's back. And with a last look back at the dead nin the ANBU disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

--

Konohagakure hospital was the pride of the shinobi world. Nowhere else could you receive gentle caring treatment for any wound at any time regardless of your standing. It was said that whether you were a beggar or a Kage, the doors of the hospital were always open...However, _8 year old_ _jinchuuriki_ were a different story.

The moment the kitsune ANBU landed in the corridor of the hospital a group of medics rushed towards him. "Are you hurt Kitsune-sama?" One of the doctors questioned as he prepared to escort the nin to the hall devoted to injured shinobi. Slowly the Kitsune-nin shook his head before producing the blond child's broken form from inside his cloak. Seeing who it was nurses and doctors alike began to leave, grumbling about how they had "Real" people to treat. As the Doctor tried to leave the ANBU's hand reached out and grasped the doctor's coat. "I'm sorry, but we don't treat demons here." The doctor calmly, but coolly spoke as he tore free of the ANBU's grip and began to walk away.

The Kitsune had never felt so outraged at the disregard and hatred that the villagers held towards the innocent child in his arms. Without thinking he lashed out and punched a meter deep hole in the nearest wall.

"HEY! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?"

Quickly the ANBU turned to face an outraged, but very beautiful, female Medic-nin. She had long chestnut hair and bright hazel eyes that vividly showed her emotions. "THIS IS A HOSPITAL!! YOU CAN'T JUST WALK IN HERE AND START BLOWING HOLES IN THINGS JUST 'CAUSE YOUR A..." What he was however was never told as she spotted the child in his arms. "OH KAMI!" The young woman cried as she rushed over and took the child, "What the hell were you doing there just standing with this child in your arms? Why didn't you get some help?" The ANBU shook his head, "No one would help because of who he is." The ANBU's quiet but deep voice sent shivers down her spine, none the less, she frowned at his words. "What the hell does it matter who he is? He's injured and needs treatment!" When the ANBU didn't say anything she just shook her head, "Never mind, just follow me." That being said she took off down the hall, the ANBU following close behind her.

--

The young woman sighed as she wiped the blood of her hand and stepped out of the surgery room. "Well, he'll live. But what the hell happened to him? And what did you mean by that whole 'No one would treat him because of who he is' crap?" The ANBU said nothing for a moment, before he shook his head as he began to walk away,

"I am sorry, I have to report to the Hokage, he will explain the situation once I have told him everything. Thank you for your service and help..." He turned to look at her, if his face was uncovered she would have liked to believe they were looking at her in an expectant manner.

"Yume, Yume Katsuragi."

"Again thank you Katsuragi-san, please remain here with the child, I will return momentarily."

"Wait what about..."

However he was gone in a swirl of leaves before she could finish. "Damn shunshin!"

--

"Interesting...very interesting..."

"What is it Hokage-sama?"

"Well, it seems that it was actually the crafty and voluptuous maid and not Harina's mother who took advantage of Hiroyoshi when he fell victim to the drug in his bed side water. Now, because of the sounds that the maid was making at night, the sexy chef is also interested in Hiroyosi while she was spending some 'quality time' with her mistresses daughter...this all so exciting!"

Ibiki Morino felt beads of sweat begin to form on the back of his head as the elderly Hokage turned the page in his little orange book, "I...see..." He lied as the Hokage continued to read, oblivious to the awkward feeling nin in front of him. "OH MY!" The Hokage gasped as he shot to his feet. Startled, Ibiki made his way to the Hokage, "What? What happened Hokage-sama?" He expected the elderly Hokage to drop the book, to make a bound for the door, anything. He didn't however expect the Hokage to let out a perverted giggle and look at Ibiki with a glint in his eyes, "It turns out the that the maid is also involved with Harina, oh how will this turn out for the chef? And who is the mysterious gypsy?" He giggled again as a perverted blush stained his cheeks as he continued to read.

"H-Hokage...sama..." Ibiki started, the sweat on his head condensing into one giant drop, "Yes Ibiki?" The older man questioned not looking up from his book. Steeling himself Ibiki cleared his throat, "I don't mean to sound disrespectful..." The Sandaime Hokage said nothing as he turned the page, "...but should you really be reading that at the moment?" The elderly man raised an eyebrow but nonetheless kept reading, "What I mean is, is it really an appropriate time for something like that? We have just received Hatake Kakashi's letter of resignation from the ANBU and his final report. Don't you think we should be planning instead of reading...inappropriate materials?" The initial look on his face had been one of nervousness, but at the end had the look of one who was determined to stand by his beliefs, even if it was against his leader...and more importantly the man who signed his paycheck.

The Sandaime Hokage sighed as he slowly put the book down, he had just gotten into the story. He had always known Jiraiya was a child with a great imagination, but his writing as an adult took even him, the former sensei of said man, on a journey he had not expected. Alas, there was indeed no rest for the wicked, "I understand your concern Morino-san," Ibiki flinched at the formality, he had not meant to offend the man, but it really wasn't ethical. Nonetheless the Hokage continued undeterred, "However, there is nothing to gain from choosing to wallow in despair. While it is true that Hatake will no longer be in charge of the ANBU, he will none the less still be one of the many active Jounin of this village and still a very important part of this village. The fact that he is no longer an ANBU is a shame, but it is not an easy lifestyle and I cannot hold it against him for leaving it after so many years of faithful service." Ibiki nodded as the Hokage spoke, all he said was true, Ibiki had never been in the ANBU but he knew enough to piece together that the man had earned his rest...however little it might be. "But about the replacement..." The Sandaime smiled slightly at this, "Ah yes, one of the best nin to come out of Konoha in many years. I believe that the ANBU and the village are in very good hands." Ibiki looked at the Hokage a little longer before speaking, "But are you sure he can handle so much pressure? After all he is still little more than a teenager and you can't expect..."

However his speech was cut short as a Kitsune masked ANBU appeared in the room, "Hokage-sama..." The Hokage smiled at the nin before he straightened himself in his seat a little, "Speak of the devil, what can I do for you Kitsune-taisho?" The ANBU rose slowly as he placed his hands at his sides, "Hokage-sama I regret to inform you that Naruto Uzumaki has once again been attacked by the nin of the village." The Hokage quickly rose to his feet and prepared to depart when the ANBU continued speaking before he could leave, "However Naruto-kun is already in stable condition after being treated by a medic-nin. Also I would like to inform that we require a serious re-evaluation of the hospital staff." The elder men looked questioningly at the young ANBU, "This is a request due to the fact that Naruto-kun had to be treated by an emergency stand-by medic-nin when the doctors and nurses refused to provide him the necessary treatment, "_W__e don't treat demons here._" were their exact words." Ibiki frowned at this, he hated people who discriminated against others. However he detested people who hated a child for something he had no control over, he would personally see that the staff learned its lesson.

The Sandaime let out a relieved sigh as he slowly walked back to his desk. "I thank you for taking care of Naruto. I hope you can forgive this foolish old man for his errors." The ANBU said nothing, but merely shook his head, "Very well then, give me your full report on the incident." Quickly and with the most details possible the ANBU quickly outlined the events of that morning. "Soon after Katsuragi-san came and took Naruto-kun and gave him the necessary medical aid and I proceeded here. That concludes my report." The Hokage let out a exhausted sigh, _' I am sorry Minato, I couldn't keep Naruto safe like you wished, I have failed both you and Kushina.'_ Standing the Hokage made his way towards the door, "Very well Kitsune-taisho I wish for you to go and capture the two men that escaped and present them to Ibiki to await their punishment." The ANBU nodded, "And Ibiki, I wish for you to gather the names of all the hospital members and have them '_re-evaluated'."_ The Hokage did not bother to hide the distaste in his words.

As the Hokage reached the door, the ANBU's voice stopped him. "Hokage-sama I request to be assigned as the personal guardian of Uzumaki Naruto." The Hokage turned to the ANBU and gave him a small grin, "Yes, I believe that would be a very good choice. Beginning after the capture of the two criminals you shall be Naruto's protector." With a nod and a bow, the ANBU shunshined from the office in a whirl of leaves. "Was that a wise choice Hokage-sama." Sarutobi Sasuke gave his first true smile of the afternoon as he faced his close friend, "Yes Ibiki it was. In fact I believe it is the best decision I have made in quite a while." Then without another word the elderly Hokage disappeared.

--

The Sandaime Hokage arrived at the doors to the hospital moments after leaving the Hokage Tower. _'I've still got some strength in these old bones.' _He chuckled to himself as he entered the hospital, soon however his smile disappeared as soon as he was greeted by the staff. His cold glare and killing intent caused the brave to stop in their tracks and begin to sweat, while the weak fell to the floor either unconscious or quivering in fear. "Where is Naruto Uzumaki?!" The "old" Hokage bellowed. It was never hidden that the Hokage had a soft spot for the blond 'demon', however, most had never seen the anger that the Hokage displayed whenever the blond was mistreated. "H-he's w-with K-K-Katsur-ragi H-Hokage-s-sama." Without a word he down the hall towards the medic nin section of the hospital.

As soon as the Hokage had left, those that where not unconscious were just getting over the killing intent of the Hokage, before a larger one appeared before them in the form of Ibiki Morino and Anko Mitarashi, one wore a grim look of dedication, while the other's smirk promised many hours of unpleasant pain then 20 ANBU appeared behind them, "You guys are so fucked." Anko sang as her smirk began to grow. And oh how they were.

--

Yume Katsuragi was a kind woman. She had been only seven when the Kyuubi no Kitsune had attacked the village and killed almost all her relatives save for her grandparents. Growing up was hard, but her grandparents had taught her that she should never hate those who could not help their situation, and that she should always look for the best in people before she judged them. As a result she got along with most of the villagers and her fellow shinobi. There were always exceptions. The main one being before her, "Come on Katsuragi just one date!" The platinum-blond haired shinobi before her begged. His emerald green eyes sparkling with the very epitome of innocence, his tanned face doing a very good imitation of a begging puppy. "No." That simple word caused the man before her to turn gray, and collapse in a shower of broken glass.

She rolled her eyes at his melodrama, it was always like this. He would as her out, she would say no, he would use the same pathetic jutsu to imitate the rejected males in a anime. "You're so cruel Katsuragi." A voice called out behind her, turning she saw no one, "Why won't you at least give me a chance?" He had not been promoted to Jounin status at the age of 13 for nothing, "I know you won't regret it..." he whispered in her ear as his arms wrapped around her midsection. She blushed at his words, despite how much she hated him, she couldn't deny that the Jounin behind her was very handsome and she had heard some very tempting rumors from other nurses...However her fist shot up and connected with his chin as she sent him reeling, "Like hell I'll give you the chance to get your perverted claws on me. Your looks may work on every other bimbo in this hospital, but I know what your intentions really are, and you're no different than those drunkards in the bars." The Jounin in question looked genuinely hurt and was about to respond when the door to the room was harshly thrown open.

Without any hesitation he quickly jumped in front of the young woman and drew a short wazashi and a pair of shuriken. However when the Hokage walked in followed by a kitsune masked ANBU he was a little thrown off, "Tsumetai-san despite how much I enjoy your antics with the fairer sex, I believe that personal matters should be dealt with after your rounds are over." Normally, he would have laughed at the young man's attempts to capture the opposite sex, however due to the current situation he had no time for small laughs. "Ah...well, yes, gomen Hokage-sama." The Jounin muttered as he disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

Despite being spared from the tempting Jounin, Yume couldn't help but feel a slight tinge of fear. She had only met the Hokage once before and that was when she was offered the rank of Chuunin in exchange for dedicating her skills towards becoming a medic nin. In all honesty Yume herself had never even considered becoming a medic, but now that she was, she never regretted her decision to give up the bloodshed and danger, plus she loved the feeling of being the one to bring someone out of the clutches of death. Now however with the Hokage looking at her with the cold and calculating eyes of the hardened warrior he was, she could see why he was revered and feared by others as the "Professor". Silently the door closed with a soft 'click'.

Slowly the hokage sighed as his eyes lost their coldness and settled for fatigue and sadness, "How is he Katsuragi-san?" Internally Yume let out a relieved breath, he was here to see the boy, and not to...what exactly had she been afraid for? Shaking her head clear of trivialities, she bowed to the leader of the village before motioning to a door behind her, "He is in stable condition for now, however he was severely undernourished and had several half healed injuries and scars that seem to have been inflicted by both ninja tools and everyday tools." She finished her evaluation as she opened the door and entered Naruto's room, the Hokage grimaced slightly at the news, he had known it was bad, however he had not expected it to have escalated to such a degree, _'Those ignorant fools, it is at times like these that I am ashamed to be their leader.'_ Nodding to the young woman he walked the room and turned to face the son of his ex-successor and charge.

The elderly man could not hold back the few stray tears that escaped his wrinkled eyes. There before him was the energetic blond he'd come to love...being maintained alive by a breathing machine, a small IV steadily dripped the desperately needed nutrients to the thin child. The remnants of the child's only (and horrid) precious belonging: his orange jumpsuit, lay in tatters on the chair near the child. This was not what he had expected or hoped for the young savior of the village, instead of respect, he received hatred, instead of kindness he was given neglect and disdain. The Hokage wiped the tears from his eyes, now was not the time. A quick glance at the monitors showed that Naruto would be waking in perhaps three days. Turning to the young medic he gave her a sincere smile, "I offer my deepest and sincerest thanks for all your care Katsuragi-san." The Hokage thanked as he bowed to the young medic. Yume blushed and stuttered as the leader of their village bowed to _**her!**_ A lowly medic-nin!

Rising slowly, the stuttering medic-nin missed the evil glint in the elderly man's eyes as he rose, "However this is such a tragedy that could not have occurred at a worse time." Just as he anticipated the young woman looked curious, "You see Katsuragi-san, I just enrolled Naruto-kun into the Ninja Academy." The young woman nodded, blissfully unaware of what the Hokage was planning, "However, I have no one that can accompany young Naruto on his trip to the shops and clothing stores to see that he is given fair treatment. I have already asked Kitsune-san here to guard Naruto and keep watch of him, however as an ANBU he is not allowed to reveal himself unless absolutely necessary and clothe shopping is hardly life threatening. " The young woman was slow to nod, she knew where this was going, "You want me to go clothe shopping with him?" No sooner were the words out of her mouth that the Hokage grasped his hands around hers, "Why Katsuragi-san you are so gracious to volunteer to escort him, I don't know how to thank you!" The young brunette couldn't help but feel that she had been had into doing this. Not that she minded, but still..."Uhm, ah H-Hokage-sama...you're hurting my hand..."

--

_Am I dead?_

_ Am I dead?_

_  
Am I dead?_

_  
Am I dead?_

_  
Am I dead?_

_  
Am I dead?  
_

The words spiraled in his head. He hadn't thought them per say, but it seemed that anything he so much as felt was projected into words by this strange universe he was in.

_**Drip, Drip, Drip, Drip.  
**_

What a strange place this was indeed, seconds ago all that had been sounding in this plane of semi-existence were his own thoughts, now however there was water. "_Sounds like my apartment."_ The child joked as he found his body. Now that he thought about it if this was death, it wasn't that bad then. At least he wasn't cold or hungry or in pain, but...

_I'm alone again..._

_  
I'm alone again..._

_  
I'm alone again..._

_  
I'm alone again..._

Naruto hated being alone. Since he could remember he'd been alone. Even when he was surrounded by the villagers, or in the park, or in just about every social place he'd been alone. But it was in his apartment that he was truly alone. The shadows followed him everywhere, speaking to him, telling him to hurt, to maim...to _**kill.**_ However he'd learned that those feelings were bad, so he tried his hardest to make friends to not be alone. Most children wouldn't come near him, only one little girl played with him for a few minutes before she was dragged away from him. She had been nice, and cute too _'Hinata Hyuuga-chan.'_ Of coarse he was now forbidden to come near the girl, and had learned that they meant business when they threw the kunai that missed his jugular by millimeters. Sighing the young boy laid on the ground, water surrounding him, but yet not wetting him or causing any discomfort._'Maybe its better this way. At least now I won't be a bother for Oji-san anymore. Plus no one will miss me, except maybe Hinata-chan... Sayonara Oji-san...Hinata-chan...'_ Naruto sighed again as he closed his eyes.

Then he felt it.

The raw surge of power. It caused the blond's eyes to snap open, he rose unsteadily. The power was enticing, overpowering ...and evil. His feet moved in a trance as the power drew him to its source. Slowly the empty space before him began to take shape, blank walls of white became dark walls of cement, pipes of leaking water soon appeared, followed by the sound of deep growling. Naruto knew the smart thing to do was turn and run. Where exactly, it didn't matter, all he knew was that whatever was at the source of this chaotic power was not friendly. Still his legs persisted as they led him to a set of bars. The bars themselves were similar to those in Konohagakure prison, yet these held a small seal paper in the middle with, creatively, the kanji for 'SEAL'. Approaching the bars the blond spotted a large mass laying behind the bars. Slowly he creeped closer until he could disconcert the shape as that of a fox, but one with one too many tails _. 'One...two...three...'_ the child counted until at last, _'...eight...nine. Nine tails. Huh that's one weird fox. Wonder if its related to that one fox...what was it called?'_ So enthralled was the youth that he failed to notice the giant creature stirring, and slowly open an eye and look in the direction of the blond. Soon however the blond finally remembered as he nodded, "That's right it was the Kyuubi no Kitsune. Can't believe I forgot that. Eh heh." the blond chuckled as he turned back to the 'sleeping' fox, only to come face to face with the massive crimson eye of the Kyuubi no Kitsune. Then he screamed.

--

**KuroiYasha: Well, that's chapter one heh. You guys must be mad as hell at me for cutting it off here, but its getting a little long, and i want this story to last, but I should have the next chapter in about a month give or take. _However_, I might write faster if I get some good reviews. Now I don't mind any kind of review but I would prefer if you, 1.) Tell what you think of the story. 2.)Tell me if there was anything you didn't like. 3.) Inform me if anything I spelled was incorrect or inaccurate. By this I mean big things like spelling of names or age's. These will all help me become a better writer and hopefully be better able to entertain you with my story. Also, I am currently looking for a Beta reader and/or someone who can Translate attacks and Jutsu's from English into Japanese, so if anyone feels up to the task please let me know. Thank you for reading and hope to get a review from you. **

**Goodnight. This is CNN...I mean KuroiYasha...yeah that's it... . . **

**V.V REVIEW!!**


	2. Maelstrom

_**Kuroi-Yasha: ****Hello one and all! Sorry this took so long and that it's so short, however I'm having a very hard time in my life right now, things aren't going well for me and I'm finding it hard to keep going, but I'll make it thru...hopefully. Anyhow, the next chapter will be longer I promise this is more of a filler, but it's needed so bear with it please. I'm saddened to say that I only got two reviews on , but 4 on MediaMiner, and an AWSOME 6 on so that makes up for it.. Anyways, here we go with Chapter 2, responses to reviews will be at the end of the chapter. YONDER!!**_

_**ATTENTION!! READ BEFORE CONTINUING!!  
There will be a major time skip in the beginning of the chapter, however as is my writing style, I will always go back and explain everything at a later time. Also Hinata will not be the kind, shy girl...not by a long shot. However I am making this a Naru/Hinata story, it'll just take a while so bear with it if you want to or else stop reading now. For those familiar with my writing style, you'll notice that things are very different in this chapter. No, this is not the wrong chapter, nor did I forget to place certain things. Just bear with it if you're interested, if not stop reading now.**_

_**LEMON-LIME ALERT!! THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS THIGS OF A VERY SEXUAL NATURE!! DO NOT READ IF YOU ARE UNDER 17!! ITS RATED M FOR A REASON!!**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not, in any way shape or form, own Naruto. I do however own a Hinata figure that is about 2 inches tall that I purchased for 8 dollars...pretty sad eh? Nor do I own "No More Lies" By Iron Maiden. But I wish I did.**_

_**Final Straw**__  
By: Kuroi-Yasha  
_**Chapter 2: Maelstrom**

_There's a darkened sky before me...  
There's no time to prepare...  
Salvage a lost horizon...  
But no regrets from me...  
Maybe I'll be back some other day...(some other day)  
To live again just who can say...?  
_

_He could feel it. _

_Her desire. _

_Her lust. _

_Her need._

"_N-Naruto-kun..."_

_He shuddered slightly at her plea, his name...always before said with contempt or disgust. Now dripping with passion. He craved more...he needed more. _

_Bending low he captured her soft lips in a slow kiss. She squirmed, he knew she hated yet loved it when he took his time with her. She made his life hell, she loathed him with an unmatched passion, yet she wanted only his touch. It was a very peculiar situation. To hate someone, yet love them at the same time. Regardless, who was he to resist her, a measly hanyou such as himself. No, he would please her, then she could hate him. For now all that mattered was the need, the want._

_Releasing her lips he latched onto her neck as he ripped her snug shirt off her body. She gasped at his roughness and disregard, she was sooo turned on at that moment. Roughly he gripped her breast with his right hand, his claw just barely touching her nipple, she loved being at his mercy. With both of her small wrists in his one hand he continued licking and bitting her sensitive areas, he growled deep in his throat, her arousal was thick in the air, and it wasn't making it any easier for him. _

"_O-Onegai...N-Naruto-kun..." _

_Having had enough, he released her hands as he removed the last of her garments with as much unnecessary roughness as possible. She loved when he was excessive. He didn't give her a chance to say anything as he roughly shoved himself inside of her tight opening. Her moan of pleasure was music to his ears, he didn't need any of the foreplay, but it was nice and hell, he got his pleasure, why shouldn't she?_

_His pace left no doubt that he was not a gentle lover. He could be, she knew all to well that he could do things to her that she couldn't even imagine, but right now she didn't care. All she needed was pleasure, and with rough sex always delivered. She wasn't disappointed. He groaned at her her tightness as he lifted her off the mattress and pressed her against the wall, her moans could only grow louder as the slight pain from being slammed against the wall magnified the pleasure she felt._

"_K-kami...AH!! N-Na-NARUTO!! ONEGAI!! MOTTO!!"_

_He could feel the sweat dripping of his brow as he pushed himself to go faster, if his princess wanted him to go faster, he'd go faster. His claws were digging into her hips as he struggled to keep his grip on her, the sweat on her lithe body making it hard to keep the pace. Snarling he thew her onto the bed as he flipped her onto her back and re-entered her from behind. Her moans were making it hard for him to keep from releasing his seed into her, but damned if he would cum before her. He increased the roughness of his thrust as he licked the blood off of his claws, the sweet taste made him want more as he leaned down and sunk his fangs into her neck. The coppery liquid filled his mouth and she could only moan with her at the taste. Of coarse she was moaning because his fangs released a euphoric liquid into her body that intensified her pleasure and dulled her pain. Being a hanyou had its up sides._

_Suddenly she stopped as she gripped the bedsheets as her knuckles turned white from the intensity of the orgasm that rocked her small body. She threw her head back as her raven hair flew back and spread like a curtain, her pupil-less eyes awash with pleasure, her small cute lips in took the shape of an O as she let out a silent scream of pleasure. Her walls, already unbearable reached a new level of tightness, releasing his grip on her neck he threw his head back and let out a low growl/moan as his member was milked by her muscles, his thick seed coating her walls. _

_He let go a shuddering gasp as he fell against the bed. His eyes closing from the aftermath of his orgasm as he took long shuddering breaths. Opening his eyes as a soft pressure landed on his body, cerulean met lavender as his lips formed into a genuine smile. "I love you hime." She gave him a heart filled smile as her hand went into his blond locks, "I love you too Naru-kun..."_

_A gasp left his lips as pain erupted in his chest, looking down he saw the black glint of the kunai in his heart. His eyes never left her lavender orbs as she leaned down and planted a soft kiss on his lips. "And that's why you have to die...Sayonara koi..." He could only stare as the second kunai came at his throat. The loving smile never leaving her lips._

* * *

Naruto opened his eyes as the first traces of sunlight entered his decrepit apartment. Again he'd had the same dream, or was it a fantasy? _'That's one fucked up fantasy...it fits me just fine.'_ Rubbing the fatigue from his eyes he rose slowly from his shoddy mattress. The dream was not a new one, hell he hadn't had a regular dream since he could remember.

Sighing the young blond made his way to the window as the morning fog passed by his view of the ocean. One could say many things about Wave country, but it was beautiful...in a morbid sort of way. After Gato had taken control of the small country and forced it into an economic stranglehold, things had gone straight down the shitter. Still though, Naruto found that despite the poorness of his home he enjoyed the people, they valued human life more than petty possessions and were always willing to help anyone who was in need, giving from the few they had.

**_'Its almost time kit...'_**

The Uzumaki sighed as he turned his back the view, and instead proceeded to gather his few scant belongings. _'So it's time to go back to Konoha huh?'_ He couldn't suppress the evil smirk that formed on his lips, while it was true that he couldn't get his revenge on the village that had forsaken him just yet, he could count this as a form of reconnaissance mission. His major contact and only friend thus far that wasn't his guardian had informed him that he'd been assigned a mission in which he had to protect a bridge builder from Wave, and was to meet up with him to return to Konoha as per the Sandaime Hokage's request. 'I'm surprised the old man's still alive.' The young boy thought as he smiled at the memory of the old man who had always been so kind to him, and had been the one to save him from his almost certain execution.

_--Flash--_

_"Uzumaki Naruto, do you know why you have been brought before this council?"_

_The child in question, no older than 9 shook his head as he stared in awe at the sheer number of people in the room, the fact that the majority of the people in the room were looking at him with glares of barely restrained loathing were not missed though._

_"So you do not admit your guilt to viciously assaulting the Inuzuka, Uchiha, and Hyuuga heirs?" _

_This however instantly got the blond's attention, slowly anger began to cause the young child shake indignantly. "I did no such thing!" He spat at the elderly man who had spoken to him, "It was a spar set up by Mizuki-sensei in order to gage our talents. However for some reason I was the only one put up against three people an..."_

_"LIES!!" _

_The roaring voice of outrage had come from one Fuugaku Uchiha who had shot out of his seat. "My youngest son Sasuke was viciously mauled by this demon! I demand retribution!!" The Uchiha head roared, much to the approval of several of the other members of the council. Most other clan heads remained silent however as they had already accepted the fact that even if they wished to help, they had already been overruled by the majority of the council._

_Sarutobi sighed at the turn of events, unfortunately he couldn't help young Naruto this time, the council had made sure that his power was limited to shinobi and not to Academy students. 'I'm sorry Naruto, I have failed you again.'_

_Naruto who had been trying to defend himself was silenced as the head of the council called for silence. _

_"Very well then, it has been decided that the defendant is guilty of all charges by the majority of the council. As a result we will now pass judgment on this...child." Motioning to his peers he directed their attention to a screen that rolled down the wall. "Now we shall take a vote for his punishment. If you wish to vote for exile, please make the Ram seal, if you wish to vote for imprisonment make the Inu seal, and if you wish to vote for execution," This got a cry from Sarutobi and a ghost white face from the young boy in question, "Please form the Tora seal."_

_Sarutobi had had enough, "You cannot seriously begin to even consider executing a helpless child?!" Sarutobi got no response and watched in horror as the council began to make their decision. After a few moments the numbers had begun to appear. _

_Exile: 17/100_

_Imprisonment: 18/100_

_Execution: 65/100_

_Sarutobi could feel his body begin to shake with grief, anguish and anger at the council's decision. _

_"And so it has been decided. Naruto Uzumaki." The boy looked up, tear-filled azure meeting uncaring coal. "You are hereby found guilty of attempted murder of 3 clan heirs, and are hereby sentenced to death." The tears now escaped Naruto's eyes unchecked as he collapsed to his knees. "Your execution shall be three days from now at dawn. You are to hang from the Gallows. This meeting is adjourned."_

_Naruto didn't even resist when he was removed from the chamber an ANBU and taken to a special cell in the Uchiha district and had several inhibitor cuffs and chakara suppressors placed on him._

_Back at the Council Room_

_"HOKAGE-SAMA!! YOU CAN'T LET THEM DO THIS TO HIM!! HE'S JUST A CHILD!!"_

_The elderly Hokage had never felt so old in his life, all the strength seemed to have just vanished from his limbs. He shook his head as tears continued to fall from his eyes, "I'm sorry Yume-san, but my powers have been stripped. I-I...I'm afraid I'm powerless." The young woman shook her head, "No, your just not thinking hard enough! There has to be...we can't..." She stopped as she collapsed and began to sob. She had not known the child for long, but she had quickly grown attached to the young jinchuuriki. His care free and loving nature, the innocence that shined in his bright azure eyes, his fox-like smile of content or simply mischievousness._

_The old Hokage merely continued to shake his head, "No, I'm sorry but we..." Sarutobi paused in mid-sentence as his mind began to put things together. "No, I couldn't...but if I don't...will he even agree..?" Yume looked up as the Hokage began to grow serious and suddenly stood. "Yes, there is no other option."_

_Turning the Hokage snapped his fingers twice and a familiar ANBU knelt before his lord. "I assume you heard my ramblings?" At the ANBU's nod, he turned to face him, his eyes cold. "Then I trust you know what I am planning on having you do?" The ANBU nodded yet again, "Very well, the execute Operation: Crimson Dawn and add the new objective." Finally the ANBU nodded one last time before vanishing. _

_"Hokage-sama...?"_

_"Forgive me."_

_Neither was certain exactly who he was apologizing to. _

_--Back--_

Yes, his life had gone to shit in a lot of ways, but at the same time he couldn't help but think that if he'd stayed in Konohagakure he would no doubt be more miserable than he was right now.

**_'Its time kit. The battle has just begun. Are you ready?'_**

Naruto nodded as the placed the hi-ate on his forehead. On it was the engraving of a fox with 9 tails, with two fox-like metallic horn/ears at the top. His eyes went to a deadly tone of dull ice as he pulled a mask over his face, and donned his black cloak with the spiraling swirl in the dead center of his back and blue streams of stitching in his cloak, giving it the illusion of a flowing wind.

"Yes...I...no..._we_...will show them the true strength of a demon." He grinned ferally as behind him the gray sky suddenly took on a darker overcast.

The Maelstrom had finally emerged_._

**_Kuroi-Yasha: Well, what did you guys think. I know a lot of you will probably want to kill me right now, but I promise the next chapter will be up in less than a month. The rest of what was mentioned in this chapter will slowly be explained in each chapter, so just bear with me. That being said I would kindly appreciate receiving more than just 2 reviews, so please help me out and give me a reason to keep writing ne?_**

**_REVIEW RESPONCES: THANKS TO ALL THAT REVIEWED. If you asked me anything, I'll reply to you here, if not, you'll receive recognition at the very bottom under the responses. Also by your name you will see one of three things, either a FF, an MM or a AFF. These merely represent the domain from which you reviewed from FF is , MM is , and AFF is ._**

**_Snake-eat-dog(AFF): Thank you for having such a high regard for my story. Yes, I purposely made Yume and Karite like this, because both will show exponential growth as is needed for such characters in order to successfully create good characters, so just give them a chance, I'm sure they'll win you over. Thank's for the review!_**

**_Harem Lover(AFF): Thanks, yes ratings are rather hard, and as time goes on I'll probably raise the rating even higher due to sheer violence, gore, language, and without a doubt much more graphic sexual action. Thanks for your support though!! ._**

**_Archfiend(AFF): Man you are a life saver. The link certainly helped, and I'll be better able to make the fight scene to come much more graphic. I'm glad you enjoyed my story and the bits of humor I toss in to keep things light. However keep in mind that this is a fanfic, as such things might be different, as such don't be too ready to believe that I'm doing everything by the letter, though I try to keep most of the story line in check, I can however assure you that Kitsune-sama/taisho is not Kakashi. And I accept your wish to beta my story, but I'll need your e-mail so I can send you my chapter to proof read. Thanks for all your help and your review!_**

**_perpetual159(AFF): Thank you, yes unfortunately I did take rather long, but life is not fair and as such I have to try and work things out. However I can promise faster updates now that I have in mind how and what I will write, expect a nice long chapter next time. YES!! I would love to have you beta my story as well, it never hurts to have 2 people, and I've never been very good at grammar I just need your email and I'll send you my next chapter as soon as it is ready. Thank you for your support and belief in my writing skills. _**

**_Deadberserker(MM): Thanks for the review! Uhm, well to answer your question; Hinata, while being from a very elite clan, is still a child, as such she will want to interact with children her own age. As such I saw it fitting that she would go to the park and play with her peers. Also because of her kind nature which is still in place before her mother dies (at least in this fic) she is the only one that dares to approach our hero and provide some sort of social interaction. Also I did state that he was then forbidden to go near her ever again and was nearly killed by her guardian. Sorry if I didn't make that clearer._**

**_YashaReader(MM): Thank you! Uhm well, I was sort of surprised myself when I didn't get any hateful "YOU SUCK"'s myself. Honestly I didn't believe I had the talent to give privilege to a great Manga like that of "Naruto" however I am glad that I was kindly accepted and will try my best not to disappoint any of you. Thank you yet again for your support._**

**_OneLove(MM): . Thank you for the support. _**

**_Mihean(MM): Thanks for your support, I'm glad you liked Karite and Sateru, I can only hope you'll like the last two OC's to come._**

_**Thanks also go to thas** **(AFF), Lady Laran(AFF) Silent Shadowz(FF), and Even better then the realthing(FF) Thank you for your reviews and or lack of evil words.**_

**_ONCE AGAIN THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR KIND WORDS AND SUPPORT I HOPE TO CONTINUE RECIEVING YOUR SUPPORT. UNTIL NEXT TIME!_**

**_KuroiYasha._**


	3. Crack in the Mask pt2

Kuroi-Yasha: Hello all, I'm sorry this took so long for those that actually enjoy reading this, however life is busy and as such I have very limited time. The next chapter should be quicker, but only slightly so. Thanks to my new beta YashaReader for his help. Now onwards!

_**Final Straw**_

_By: Kuroi-Yasha_

_Chapter 3: Crack in the mask pt.2_

_(No song this time. Sorry.)_

"_Come on Shikamaru!!! You have to at least put some effort into the game! Who ever heard of a enemy nin that doesn't at least try to get away?!"_

"_This is just a pain you know that Ino?"_

"_Come on Shika."_

"_Alright, alright. Troublesome friends..."_

_Laughter filled the small park as the children began to run about. They were none older than eight, yet they were already playing games that resembled the career they wished to engage in very soon._

_Such was the scene when a small blue haired girl arrived. Her face bore a small blush just at the concept of interacting in some way with children her own age that were outside of the clan. Normally such a request from her to be allowed to interact with the less "noble" clans of Konoha would have been denied before she had even finished stuttering the request, but today her mother had given her a rare opportunity to go to the park and play since things between her and her cousin, the only child in the clan near her age that she was allowed to interact with, had become more tense and steadily more aggressive._

_So, because of said friction here she was, about to have her first ever encounter with her peers. The branch member that escorted her gave her a gentle smile as the elder man gave the shy heiress a small push in the children's directions before he turned and made his way to converse with the fellow adults and possibly former team mates._

_Slowly she began to make her way towards the children. It wasn't that she was afraid… scratch that, she was terrified of them! Most specifically what they would do or how they would react when she spoke to them. Before she realized it, she was within speaking distance of the group. As she opened her mouth to speak to them, she found however that she was forced to close it when the group of children stopped and turned in the opposite direction she was in._

"_Man, it's troublesome, but my mom told me that I'm not allowed to play with you. Gomen."_

"_Yeah, likewise with me. I'm sorry."_

"_Yup, my parents told me the same. They said not to be mean to you, but I'm not allowed to 'associate' or whatever with you."_

_Tears began to gather in the corners of her eyes as she lowered her small head at their words. Was she really that bad that they had to turn away from her just to be able to reject her? Was she really that…_

"_H-heh… t-that's a-alright."_

_The words spoken broke her out of her rut however as she looked up to see that the children had separated enough for her to see who they were talking to. Strangely enough she could see a young boy not much older than their selves. However a small blush adorned her cheeks again as she gazed upon his golden locks, though untidy, that gave him a very handsome look with his blue eyes shining in the light from the unshed tears that enhanced the azure color. His most prominent features however were the three small markings on both his cheeks; they reminded her almost of whisker marks. 'Like a koneko… or a kitsune.'_

_Her thoughts however were once again interrupted as the light haired boy turned and walked away from the group. Said group watched him go sadly as they stood motionless._

"_I think I'm just gonna head home. This was all much too troublesome." The pineapple headed child spoke dully._

"_Yeah, I feel really bad for what we did." The plump red head replied, reflexively pulling out a bag of sweets. _

"_We had to though… didn't we?" The other blond questioned as she began walking away with her friends._

_If they answered she didn't hear them as she slowly approached the blond child as he sat beneath the slide in the playground. She knew he was crying when she noticed the shaking of his body from the quiet sobs; she'd done that herself many times after her confrontations with her cousin reduced her to tears. And as such she knew that she always felt better when her mother hugged her. So temporarily forgetting her shyness she knelt behind the crying boy and slowly wrapped her small arms around him._

_His reaction wasn't what she expected as he nearly jumped from her embrace in shock before he realized he was in no danger from a child his own age. He didn't relax; however, he did stop crying so she would take that as a good sign. She smiled nervously at him, her shyness returning in full force as she realized that she had hugged a stranger and a cute boy at that. The blush that stained her face was much more intense than her previous ones and she began to feel light headed as the situation became clearer and clearer. She was brought back to reality however when the boy spoke to her._

"_A-ano… Who are you?"_

_His question brought her back to reality as she realized she must seem incredibly rude. Straightening quickly she bowed to him before she stuttered her reply. _

"_G-G-Gomen N-Nasai. A-ano. M-my N-N-Name i-is H-Hyuu-g-ga H-H-Hinat-ta." _

_Slowly the boy began to smile, as he turned looked at her, "Heh, that's alright." He spoke clearly and confidently, his voice sounding not quite melodic, but not normal in a sense. She immediately knew that she enjoyed hearing his voice. Slowly standing the boy's smile grew wider and took on a fox-like deviousness, "Gomen," he began as he held out his hand to help her, which she graciously (but shyly) accepted, "I didn't mean to be seen like that..." His voice took on a softer tone as he spoke, his eyes gathering the sorrow that he felt for all to see. For some unknown reason, she felt her heart give a small painful throb at his words and the ache in his voice, however she turned up to look him in the eyes before she spoke with determination, "I-if it h-helps..." she began as the blond looked at her, "T-they looked r-really s-sad about w-what t-they had done." _

_Slowly, as the words she had spoken became clear to him, he began to smile again. His smile was so joyful that she could feel her own heart soar just by looking at him; she could not, and certainly would not, stop the smile that slowly came across her own face._

"_Arigato Hinata-chan." _

_The thanks and the suffix used caused a blush to stain her pale porcelain cheeks giving them a rosy hue. "I-it w-was n-nothing spe-cial." she muttered as she began to press her fingertips together. The blond haired youth continued to smile nonetheless as he walked out from under the slide. "It meant a lot to me, so it just seemed fair." Slowly he began to walk away from the blue haired heiress as he made his way for the woods. Realizing what was going to happen she mustered all her courage in order to call out to him, "M-matte K-kurasai!" _

_Slowly the blond turned to her as the blush returned to her with a vengeance, "A-ano. W-would y-you l-like t-to p-p-play w-with m-me?" The last part she almost completely muttered, however by some miracle the blond still heard her. The shock on his face made her regret what she'd said, "G-gomen, I w-was only... y-you don't have t-to..." She was silenced however as tears began to flow down the boys eyes. For a moment she was truly terrified that she had somehow deeply offended him. Those thoughts however where banished instantly when the same smile lit his face. "H-hai! I'd love to play with you Hinata-chan!" Quickly the boy ran back over to her and, to her surprise (and glee), hugged her tightly. Her blush stayed with her through out the hug after she'd been released, that however did not stop the smile that graced her features. "O-okay t-then, lets play. Ano..." She stopped suddenly when she realized she didn't know his name. Realization came upon the blonde's face as he smiled at her. _

"_Heh, silly me! I forgot to tell you my name." He smiled again as his azure orbs filled with happiness bore into her._

"_My name is..."_

_**BBBRRRRRRIIIIIIINNNNNGGGGGG**_

~-~-~-~-

Pupil less orbs shot open as she quickly proceeded to mercilessly crush the offending object that had awoken her from her dream. _'Kuso! That's the fifth one.'_ Sighing she sat up from her rather plush bed; being the heiress had its perks. Quickly going through some light stretches to chase away the haze of sleep that currently still had a hold of her; she rose from her bed and made her way to her personal bathroom. After going thru her daily morning routines, she quickly dressed herself in her usual dark attire. The top that she wore was almost form fitting, doing nothing to hide her growing feminine curves, over it was a simple fishnet of chakra reinforced material that became as hard as steel when needed but remained comfortably soft all the while. She wore simple black ninja pants, tight enough to give her a sense of femininity, while being loose enough that she could easily use the flexibility that made her the best kunoichi since her own sensei Yuuhi Kurenai and/or Special Jounin Anko Mitarashi had attended the academy. Her rituals being done she walked out of her room and made her way to the dining room.

The Hyuuga manor was not an easy place to navigate thru, what with it being nearly half an acre large plus the gardens and personal training grounds taking up another acre and a half it indeed gave onlookers a look what the Hyuuga saw about themselves, a clan of honor, nobility, and _power. 'It also shows how arrogant and blind most of us are despite having_ _**all seeing**_ _**eyes**__.' _Arriving quickly in the dining room she saw a servant of the branch house already setting her regular breakfast meal. Giving the servant a gentle smile she took her seat at the table as the servant poured her a cup of fresh tea.

"Is there anything more you require Hinata-sama?"

"No, thank you. However, would you please inform my father that I shall be late for dinner tonight seeing as I have an extended team training session?"

"Hai Hinata-sama. I shall inform Hiashi-sama as soon as possible."

Nodding to the servant she quickly finished her tea as she took the last piece of her breakfast in her hand and proceeded to walk towards the main entrance. Along the way she greeted all the servants warmly, and in turn received warm greetings, she was also unfortunate enough to run into a few elders to which she gave stiff, but formal greetings and much as with the servants received the same in exchange. The elders disliked her as much as she disliked them. After her mother's death she had become aware of how the elders manipulated her father into things that benefited them and not the clan; it was that very reason she began learning the inner clan workings and had become the spitting image of her mother, both in the compassion for those that were deemed by her own clan as beneath her and in her fierce opposition of the elders and their strict 'traditional' methods. In short she became everything they hated, and she was glad to make their lives that much more difficult. Due to this she had earned the respect and support of the Branch Family of the Hyuuga with the exception of her vengeful cousin Hyuuga Neji; though even he was forced to grudgingly follow her commands after his thorough defeat at her hands one year ago with monthly defeats to reinforce the message.

Yes, there was no doubt that Hyuuga Hinata was strong.

"_My name is…"_

Yet despite all her strength.

"_My name is…"_

Despite her endless cunning.

"_My name is…"_

Despite everything, she was not able to remember.

"_My name is…"_

It drove her mad.

"_My name is…"_

His blond hair, and his crystalline azure eyes.

"_My name is…"_

His full-blown grin with all its mischievousness and his whisker like cheek markings.

"_My name is…"_

"MY NAME IS WHAT DAMN IT!!!?"

She cursed as she brought her fist down on the unfortunate tree before her, completely decimating it as it splintered and broke filling the air with its wooden threads before its top came tumbling down, taking another tree with it. Her breathing was harsh and erratic as she struggled to recompose herself. She had been having the same dream for weeks and it bothered her to no end. She knew that it was more than just a dream; she knew she was trying to remember something that had been blocked out of her memories, something important… someone important.

"_My name is…"_

"You know if you keep shouting nonsense to yourself and destroying trees people are gonna begin wondering..." he was saying before being interrupted.

"What do you want turd? It's way too early for me to be having to deal with you."

"That's not nice Hin. Besides we're on the same team so you have to see me regardless."

"Unfortunately so…"

Sighing the blue haired heiress slowly drew herself up as she turned to face her brown haired teammate.

"So what do you want?"

"Just the usual." The brown haired ninken answered as he took his fighting stance, "Today's the day Hin."

She raised an eyebrow at his statement, "What? Are you finally admitting that you're gay? If so, I already figured it out."

A slight growl was the only response and caused a small smirk to adorn her face, she loved teasing the ninken. She enjoyed it almost as much as she enjoyed beating him to the ground. Almost.

At her smirk he rushed, attempting to catch her off guard as he aimed a punch at her face. Raising her eyebrow at the attack she merely stepped to the side and brought her arm up to catch his and pulled on his offending appendage as she planted her left leg in front of his and proceeded to flip the young man onto the ground rather quickly and painfully.

"Not using Akamaru today? Are you sure I didn't damage something in your brain yesterday? You barely scratch me with him, what makes you think you can beat me by yourself?" She taunted/questioned the young man as he rose to his feet. "Keh, I'm just getting started Hin. I'll beat you using my own strength and then you'll be forced go out with me."

Again she sighed, this time in exasperation. Ever since the academy the brown haired Inuzuka heir had been trying to get her to date her and had rejected him time and time again, stating that she would only date someone that was stronger than her. And so it had begun, ever since she'd said those fateful words she was issued numerous challenges each day from would be suitors. And like she said, she'd taken them down, one after the other, after the other, after the other... Most had given up, accepting the fact that they could not defeat the heiress. Inuzuka Kiba however was not among them, and seemed hell bent on beating her. Not that he'd ever come close. This time would be no different.

"I'll end this now for both our sakes." She declared as she assumed her Jyuuken stance. The Inuzuka heir scoffed as he quickly went into his own family stance before charging her once again. As soon as he was within five feet of her, she slunk down gracefully as she moved past his poor defense and brought a palmed strike to his stomach, effectively winding him before she spun on her heel and delivered two more strikes, one to each shoulder, and rendering his arms useless before she spun again and brought her palm up to strike his heart and finish the fight. Cringing, the Inuzuka heir closed his eyes, fully expecting to feel pain that would render him either dead or unconscious. Surprisingly, or rather not, he found the Hyuuga girl's palm millimeters from his chest and right over his heart.

"You lose Kiba."

Slowly Hinata turned to the voice, her pupil less lavender eyes focusing on the coated figure of her other teammate. Raising her hand in a small wave, she sent a smile to the Aburame heir. "Ohayo Shino-kun." she called lightly. The dark haired nin nodded slightly to her as he brought his hand up and adjusted his sunglasses. "Ohayo Hinata-sama." She gave a small frown at his address to her, but didn't respond. "Despite how entertaining it was watching you humble our other team member…" The blue haired heiress gave a sheepish chuckle and a slight blush adorned her cheeks, "I was sent to inform the both of you that Kurenai-sensei has asked us to meet her in front of the Hokage Tower to receive a mission for today." Nodding, the blue haired heiress and the sunglass-wearing heir began walking towards the city.

"OI!! WHAT ABOUT ME!? _MAAATTTEE_! (WAIT)"

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

That had been a little less than a week ago. Currently Team 8 was approaching the small country known as Wave. Originally they were suppose to go on a mission of escort to Kirigakure but an emergency S.O.S. from Team 7 had placed them under the temporary command of a Special Jounin named Katsuragi Yume while Kurenai continued with the original mission.

"How much further is this damn village?"

"TURD! WATCH YOUR MOUTH!"

"But Hin, we've been traveling for almost a week on land and almost four hours on this boat!"

The remaining member of the team sighed as he quietly apologized to their current sensei for his team's behavior. The brunette smiled softly at the team, _'Just like my old team…'_ Shaking off such thoughts, the hazel-eyed medic turned her attention towards the landscape which slowly began to come into focus. _'Almost there, just a little longer Naruto.'_

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

Uchiha Sasuke was not happy. This was not uncommon. The reason he was not happy was not unexpected either.

"SASUKE-KUN!"

A shudder went down the avenger's spine as the shrill voice of his banshee of a teammate called for him for the hundredth time that day.

"One hundred and eleven actually."

The sudden arrival of his sensei to his left nearly knocked the young Uchiha prodigy from his sanctuary within the branches of the tree just outside the house of their current charge.

"S-sensei."

"Yo."

A tumbleweed rolled by. A sweat drop formed behind the head of the chicken butt, Sasuke, as his teacher released a perverted giggle as he turned the page of his little orange book.

"Is something the matter Kakashi?"

His question earned him a blank stare from his gray haired sensei.

"Eto, who are you?"

"N-not funny sensei."

"Ne Sasuke-kun. Just because Sakura-chan annoys you doesn't mean you should ignore her and avoid her at all costs."

"Keh, why shouldn't I? She's a burden and a nuisance."

"Because if you do she'll bother me all day, and an injured man needs his rest."

"Funny, you don't look injured."

"I'm very good at covering my weaknesses; it's one of my endearing traits and skills."

"Really? And what pray tell are your others?"

"My good looks, gray hair and my mad dance skills."

"I'm sorry I asked."

With a snap the gray haired Jounin closed his book as he turned to his prized pupil.

"Sasuke."

The earlier conversation forgotten as the seriousness in his sensei's voice drew his full attention.

"Zabuza is still alive and I'm certain that the Hunter-nin is in league with him. As such I'll need you to be ready to face Zabuza's assistant while I take care of Zabuza himself. To help, I called for back up the day after we were attacked and they should be here within the day. I want you to work together with them to defeat him. No Sasuke you can't beat him on your own because he might even be evenly matched with me."

Sasuke paled at the concept of having to fight someone like his sensei. He was by no means weak, but his sensei had utterly defeated him in their spars, and those had been fights where he didn't face any danger. Clenching his hands, Sasuke stared out into the ocean as a boat began to appear, "Hai sensei. I'll work with them."

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

"I won't work with them."

"Sasuke."

"No."

"Sasuke-kun!"

The dark haired Uchiha walked out of the house ignoring the sounds of his name coming from his sensei and teammate. Sighing the scarecrow-like Jounin rubbed the back of his head sheepishly as he gave a slight bow to the temporary sensei of Team Eight.

"Gomen Katsuragi-san. Sasuke-kun isn't exactly, social?"

The fair-haired woman shook her head as she returned the bow. "Its perfectly alright Hatake-sempai. I didn't expect much co-operation between the teams due to the… incident." Hatake narrowed his eye, "Yes, I'd forgotten about how some of the members of this team were involved in the background."

The Hyuuga heiress quietly listened to the exchange between the two adults. _'What are they talking about? I've never been involved with Uchiha Sasuke; not since the Academy.'_

"…_ruto-kun! Ie! Otou-san they can't! He didn't do anything! They can't kill him!"_

She stumbled backwards as the sudden memory invaded her consciousness. _'N-nani?'_

"_Hinata you must control yourself! Your behavior is very unbecoming of an heiress!"_

"_IE!! OTOU-SAN!! I DON'T CARE!! HE'S GOING TO BE KILLED!!"_

"_Hinata! Restrain her!"_

Hinata collapsed to her knees as she brought her hands to her head, a small whimper escaping her lips as tears began to form in the corners of her eyes.

"No…"

"…_RUTO-KUN!!"_

"No… No…"

"Hinata-san are you alright?"

"_RESTRAIN HER NOW!!"_

"_NO!! LET ME GO!! ...ARUTO-KUN!!"_

"No, no, no… I-it h-hurts…"

"Hinata-sama!"

"Hinata-chan!"

"Hina!"

"_Forgive me Hinata. Ninpou: OmoideFuuin (Ninja Art: Memory Seal)"_

"_**IIIIIIIIEEEEEE!!!!"**_

The shrill scream that shot from the pale girl's lips sent chills of fright down the spines of all those present. Slowly the blue haired heiress' eyes began to focus as she observed her surroundings.

The slamming of the door as it was forced opened caused all except the dazed heiress to jump. There slightly winded, with a worried expression stood Uchiha Sasuke.

"What happened?! I heard a scream and…"

He never got to finish as a feral scream escaped the pale girl's lips as she charged the Uchiha. Shocked and caught off guard no one could react as the Hyuuga heiress's fist connected with the Uchiha's face with a sickening crunch that sent him reeling. Before she could follow up on her attack however she found herself being restrained by the gray haired Jounin as everyone else rushed forward to either help the fallen Uchiha or help calm the Hyuuga girl.

"LET ME GO!! LET ME GO GOD DAMN YOU!! I'LL KILL HIM!! I'LL KILL THE FUCKING UCHIHA IF IT'S THE LAST THING I FUCKING DO!! LET ME GO!! _**LET ME GOOO!!!**_"

All that everyone could do was stare at the enraged young girl. Those who knew her were frightened and beyond shocked at what they were seeing while those who didn't were even more shocked due to the fact that what little they knew of the young heiress didn't match what they were seeing.

"Hinata! Calm down!"

"NO I'LL KILL HIM!! LET ME GO!! HE KILLED HIM!! IT'S ALL HIS FAULT!!"

"HINATA STOP!"

As if a spell had been broken the girl suddenly stopped fighting against the hold as she began to sob. Releasing her, Kakashi watched sadly as the young girl crumpled upon contact with the ground and continued to sob uncontrollably. Everyone could only watch as the once proud and strong girl lay broken pathetically on the ground, sobbing for the death of someone who was unknown to them. Slowly the chestnut haired woman approached the sobbing girl.

"Hinata-sama. Who did Sasuke-san kill?"

She remembered now.

"Hinata?"

"_My name is…"_

_His blond hair, and his crystalline azure eyes._

"Hinata-sama?"

"It was him… all because he beat us…"

A chill went down Yume's spine. _'No, it couldn't be. He told me she was sealed.' _

"_My name is…"_

"Who Hinata-sama? You have to tell me."

_His full-blown grin, with all its mischievousness and his whisker like cheek markings._

She knew now. She'd nearly run away from her home to try and help him. She'd been terrified. They couldn't do that to him, not to the kind boy with the smile made her heart flutter.

"Hinata-sama! Answer me!"

Not the same boy whose courage and determination made her not want to give up. His belief and faith made her believe in him despite whatever odds were against him.

"It was him. The boy with the blond hair…"

Yume gasped. Kakashi's one visible eye grew in shock.

"…his azure eyes, wide grin…"

Hinata looked up as her eyes focused on Uchiha Sasuke's figure, "…and his whisker like marks on both cheeks."

"_My name is…"_

"His name was…"

"_My name is…"_

"_**Uzumaki Naruto."**_

Kuroi-Yasha: Well, that's chapter three. Sorry for the wait, but I've been kinda busy. I'd like to thank my beta YashaReader for making this chapter smooth. I'd also like to thank all those that reviewed. Next chapter will be up in about month.

**Thanks to:**

**YashaReader (MM)**

**NiebieskiLis (FF)**

**Kyuubi123 (FF)**

**WolfLord04 (FF)**

**Josh (AFF)**

**Perpetual159 (AFF)**


	4. Aoikaze

**Kuroi-Yasha: Well, here we finally are. Chapter 4 up and ready for your enjoyment. So…enjoy? Almost forgot, Thank you once again to my awesome beta YashaReader once again he has saved my sorry ass. You can find him on Media Miner. org. Thanks again!  
**

_**LEGAL DISCLAIMER: I DON'T IN ANY WAY SHAPE OR FORM OWN NARUTO. Only some merchandise, and the OC's you see in the story.**_

_**Final Straw**_  
_**By: Kuroi-Yasha**_  
_Chapter 4: Aoikaze_

_Lie! Lie to my face.  
Tell me it ain't no thing, that's what I wanna hear.  
Take, your lie to the grave.  
That's what an old friend told me look what it did for him._

_- 3's and 7's by Queens of the Stone Age_

_Silence reigned over the dank corridors. Even the usual dripping sound of water was mysteriously missing and gave the depressing area an even more foreboding atmosphere. It was here that twin globes of fiery crimson stared down at the shaking form of a blond haired boy. Neither spoke, one from the fear and shock that was currently rampaging his system and the other from mere disinterest; as a powerful demon the Kyuubi no Youko was not impressed. The blond that had imprisoned him must have been stupider than the Kyuubi had imagined. Despite his utter hatred for the man that had imprisoned him, he held a grudging respect for the man that had defeated him._

_This child however…_

_The Fox let a snarl escape him as a tail shot through the bars of the seal and captured the quivering boy. Again the boy began to scream, a horrible frightened shriek more fitting of a banshee or perhaps a bat-youkai than a mere human child. Ignoring the screams of the frightened child he slowly enveloped him more with the furry appendage. Reacting out of instinct the young Naruto did what almost anyone in his position would do, he bit the tail. The action was about as effect as a flea biting an elephant, in his defense young Naruto did posses some sharp teeth. Squeezing slightly harder than necessary the fox gave the child the message that he did not particularly enjoy being bitten._

"_**Silence your pitiful cries whelp!"**_

_More out of fear and shock that such a creature could speak than actual obedience, Naruto clamped his mouth shut. Again the Kyuubi squeezed his young container, except this time a rush of warmth flooded through the boy._

_Outside the medics could only marvel in horrified awe as the poison that they'd slipped into the comatose Naruto's IV began to seep out of his skin. They didn't marvel long as the ANBU guard quickly restrained them._

_Inside, the Kyuubi growled at the medics underhanded attempts to kill his host. As a demon lord he did not fear death, but he'd be damned if he was going to be killed while his host's body was defenseless. Having taken care of the problem the kitsune-lord released his container before turning his back and slinking back into the confines of his cage._

"_**Begone from here whelp, you have no business with me and I have none with weaklings."**_

"_WHO ARE YOU CALLING WEAK KEGAWABORU?! (Meant to be Fur ball, my dictionary sucks though so this might be wrong.)." The blond yelled more out of instinct at being insulted than actually caring about dealing with the fox-lord. His brazen insult of the demon did not go unnoticed though and the fox instantly rounded on the boy._

"_**YOU DARE INSULT ME NINGEN?!"**_ _The fox-lord bellowed as he unleashed a blast of killing intent at the rebellious blond._

_Despite the power and hatred that washed over Naruto, he managed to hold his ground and stare unblinkingly at the furious youko. "Yeah I do, and I'll insult you all I want you bastard kitsune! You killed a lot of people and my parents too! Now I find you stuck in me so I'll yell at you all I please!"_

_To say that the Kyuubi was shocked would be an understatement, yet he showed none of it as he turned a critical eye towards the furious blond child. Leaning down to be at eye level with the tiny blond, crimson met azure. "**Very well kit. What do you want?"**_

_Naruto looked at the fox in surprise before focusing on the demon lord. "I want to know everything. I want to know why you attacked, and why you're inside me."_

_The fox stared at the boy before rising and turning, then slowly walking into the reassess of his cage. "**Your idiot of a father locked me inside of you during the attack. As for attacking your village I did it because it was in my way."**_

_The young boy could only gape with shock at the information the demon had given him. His father did this? Then that meant, "I-I'm the Yondaime's s-son?"_

_The Kyuubi only chuckled at the blond, "**Yes, that fool sacrificed himself to stop me as his final gambit. Much good it did him: everyone loves him but hates you.**" Naruto could only lower his head as the Kyuubi's eyes reemerged in the cage. "**Some father huh?"**_

_The jab had its desired effect as Naruto glared at the fox, "SHUT UP! YOU'RE JUST MAD 'CAUSE OTOU-SAN KICKED YOUR ASS!"_

_The kitsune merely snorted as it turned from the young blond for the third time. "**Regardless, I've grown tired of your presence."** The fox's footsteps could be heard as he retreated, "**Oh, and I'd keep your heritage to yourself if I were you. Never know who will want to kill you. Your father had many enemies… much more in this village than in others. Have fun…" **Naruto could only stare into the darkness as the Kyuubi's laughter filled his mind as consciousness began to return._

~-~-~-~

**'Get your head out of your ass kit and watch where you're going!'**

Startled, Naruto was shaken from his reminiscing by the harsh bark of a tree as his body forcefully introduced itself to the ancient oak. _'Memo to self… kill the fox.' _The azure eyed boy grumbled as he slowly rose to his feet. In all truth he was just taking out his anger on his resident, and it was unfair to blame him for his own unawareness, but it made him feel better to blame someone other than himself. A sudden explosion and spike of chakra informed him that he'd gotten closer to the battle than he would have liked. Gazing over the seas of Wave he caught sight of what he believed were the Konoha-nin that were currently protecting one 'Tazuna the bridge builder'. The mist was thick, but was clearly caused by a jutsu.

Smirking, the golden-haired youth's features sharpened a bit and became slightly more feral, but the changes were very inconspicuous to someone who didn't know him well. Slowly, the fog began to disappear from his view as his eyes took on a crimson hue to allow the figures on the bridge to come into view as if he was no more than 10 yards away rather than the kilometer he was. There were more present than he'd expected; there were five visible males, one being the Demon of the Blood Mist, Momochi Zabuza. The other four he did not know, but their headbands indicated that they were Konoha-nin. He could also make out the outline of who he assumed was Zabuza's target being protected by one of the younger males and one of the three visible females.

_'Pink eh? I wonder…'_ All perversion aside however the blond could see movement in two different directions. To his left was Zabuza who was currently engaged in combat with who he assumed were the team leaders of the Konoha-nin. To his right he could see a… well… Naruto sweat dropped as he saw what was suppose to be a battle? _'Looks more like the black haired one is getting his ass handed to him by the Hunter. I wonder why the other two aren't helping him.' _The answer became obvious when the Hunter-nin gave a particularly fierce blow that knocked the raven-haired youth a great deals away and was followed by a loud screech of "_**SASUKE-KUN!!"**__, _as the other two simultaneously attacked the green wearing Hunter. These two, it seemed, were fairing better and were indeed somewhat of a challenge for the masked-nin as it was forced to draw a series of thin senbon needles. This put a sort of hamper on the brown haired ninken. The blue haired female was unaffected however as she skillfully dodged the masked-nin's deadly projectiles and proceeded to engage her opponent in a fierce display of masterful taijutsu.

_'Beautiful…'_

That was all that came to his mind as he watched the battle. The blue haired woman moved with the finesse of a dancer; she would dip, curve, and bend out of the way of her opponent. Likewise, the hunter was a refined fighter whose movements could only be described as sharp but certainly not choppy with too much rigidness; it was almost like the quick snaps of thin ice being broken which made prediction of movement difficult. This truly was a match of skill and power; he felt he could have watched this battle for days, even months and not regret the time that passed. Unfortunately all good things must end, and as such the match was quickly decided as the masked-nin unleashed a very complex kekkei genkai that involved elemental manipulation and surrounded the blue and brown haired Konoha-nin in crystalline mirrors of chakra infused ice.

**'Kit… that isn't natural… I sense…' **

The blond nodded to his inner-demon as he watched as the Hunter-nin proceeded to impale both Konoha-nin with several senbon, downing the brown haired boy with a well aimed needle and disabling his canine companion by forcing the boy to use his own body as a shield to protect the small dog. The blue haired girl however refused to give up and was currently dogging needles to the best of her ability and attacking the mirrors of ice, doing slight damage from the blasts of concentrated chakra that she released in bursts from her palms. _**'Jyuuken.'**_ Naruto frowned as the word came into his head, how did he know the name of an attack that he'd never seen before? Casting that thought aside however it was clear that the blue haired kunoichi had no chance of defeating the masked hunter anymore, and it was only a matter of time before it was over. _'I've got to save her. I can't let her…' _He froze as the thought passed through his head and was processed. Why should he care what happened to this girl? He didn't know her, and there was really no point in revealing himself ahead of schedule to save some kunoichi that he did not know. _So… why do I feel…' _His thoughts however came to an abrupt stop as a spike of chakra came from his left followed by the sound of thousands of chirping birds and a radiant blue flash of lightning.

_**'Chidori: Created by morphing one's chakra into positive and negative currents, resulting in an electrical discharge. Taking said discharge one increased the amplitude of the charge by forcing an even more powerful negative burst into it, keeping it reinforced and stable with occasional and controlled pulses of a positive charge. Current chakra required to execute attack: 10 percent normal, 2 percent youki.'**_

That was even more mystifying. Now, not only did he know the name of the attack and how to perform it, but also the amount and type of chakra he needed to perform it. Now all that was missing was the hand-signs and he'd have virtually copied the move. _'Kyuubi?'_ He questioned, but received nothing but a dark chuckle in response. Deciding that it was probably for the best if he questioned the fox later, he focused on the current problem. The silver-haired Konoha-nin would kill Zabuza within the minute which would in actuality help his plans, but he knew the hunter would interfere and get himself/herself killed, and he just couldn't have that. _'Such talent would be wasted… not to mention…' _No, he'd have no choice but to intercept the attack and deflect it. The problem however was that he couldn't be revealed as he was right now because if he did, all of his plans would be completely in-salvageable and there would be no point in returning to Konoha.

**'Heh, you're in quite a bind kit aren't you?'**

The blond scoffed at the kitsune-lord, _'Hai, but I don't suppose you'll be able to help me would you?' _There was silence following his plea/request. He was just about to give up and cancel his plans when the demon spoke.

**'Why don't you use him?'**

Naruto's eyes widened at the fox's question. _'Baka! There is no way I can… I don't even… How am I…'_

The fox's dark chuckle was all the reply that he received as a sharp pain erupted in his head and flashes of memories and other vision's ran thru his mind. **'A gift… use it well kit. And remember, the ones that hold the eyes of the thief are what I want. Kill them all; for remember, despite being unattainable, the cloud's will always be at the mercy of the wind.'**

Slowly the blond rose as he felt two other large chakra entities make themselves known. _'Arigatou…'_

~-~-~-~

It was almost over. It had been a hard fought battle, but it seemed that they finally had the upper hand. Zabuza and his Hunter-nin accomplice had given them a tough time, tougher than it should have actually been considering that they outnumbered them three and a half to one. Despite that odds, it seemed that quality was clearly in their opponents' corner. Regardless, they were only human, and as such had made a fatal mistake: they had become overconfident.

"IT'S OVER ZABUZA! CHIDORI!"

What happened next was both unprecedented and unimaginable in their respective rights. As the deathblow came within inches of the Demon of the Bloody Mist's heart, it was abruptly stopped as thick threads wrapped themselves around the Hatake's wrist and sharply pulled him away from his target and into a razor-like tail that severed the unfortunate nin in half. Or it would have at least, had the gray-nin not used a hastily executed Kawamari jutsu and had an unfortunate barrel take his place. Even so, the Jounin could not prevent the grunt of pain that escaped him as a large amount of his lifeblood began to leave him from the large gash that ran across his abdomen joining the identical, but shallower, wound that had lead to Zabuza's would be death.

"Yare yare! It would seem that the Copy-nin Hatake Kakashi is as resourceful as they claim."

"Yes, it is no wonder he is worth eight million ryo. I was weary of whether or not this expedition of yours would prove fruitful, now I can see that my time was not mismanaged."

All the combatants on the field paused in their respective fights to gaze upon the two intruders who had effortlessly downed the one warrior that was the hope and bane of their current missions. They were an odd pair indeed. The one that had tangled the silver-haired Jounin was tall, with a mask that covered his face similar to that off Kakashi's, but had more of a vampire-ish appearance. His eyes were a dark crimson, and his head was covered by a large straw hat that barely revealed what could only be another mask beneath the first one. The other was shorter, with a hunchback. Like his companion he also wore a mask, except this one had more of the appearance of a muzzle built for a human. His fiery red hair was the second most detail that drew notice to him while the first was the large tail that had emerged and disappeared quickly after being used. The only thing they both had in common were the twin set of dark cloaks with red clouds, and the same identical straw hats.

"Despite this, new occurrence… bare in mind that we are here to capture the child with the kori kekkie genkai (Ice Blood Limit). After we have achieved this, feel free to indulge yourself in gathering your… trophies. Is that clear Kakuzu?" The hunchbacked red head questioned.

Scoffing, the taller one, Kakuzu, nodded as he advanced on the Hunter-nin. "Hai. I'll get the brat, you just deal with the rest of them Sasori."

Before even so much as a breath could be taken, the mirrors that surrounded the Hyuuga heiress and the incapacitated ninken were shattered revealing a sprawled and dazed Hunter-nin. _'Baka… na… (Impossible)'_ The same thought ran through the heads of the Hunter, the Prodigy and the Avenger. Leaping back to its feet, the Hunter quickly unleashed a furry of senbon at the tall supposed abductor. Like they were nothing more than annoying flies rather than razor sharp implements of death the crimson-eyed Kakuzu batted them from his path as he unleashed a string of dark threads.

_'Zabuza-sama… gomen. It seems that this is the end…'_

"_**KAITEN!!"**_ A protective barrier of pure chakra was all that saved the young Haku from certain capture. "N-nani…?" Slowly, as the barrier receded, the dark haired Hunter-nin was able to turn and face her savior, the blue haired Hyuuga heiress. "Why? Why did you save me?"

Haku couldn't keep the surprise and shock hidden when in response the panting Hyuuga female gave a small smile. "Well, doesn't the saying go: 'My enemy's enemies are my friends'?"

"Hai, but I don't think that has any meaning in this situation."

"Heh… I guess you're right, but hey, if anyone is going to beat you, it's going to be me. Got that?" Haku was speechless, never before had she been shown such kindness, with the exception of Zabuza-sama that is. Slowly a small smile graced Haku's hidden features.

"Hai. Let's do our best…"

"…Or die trying!"

~-~-~

_'Kuso! Why now?!' _The young tokubetsu-jounin cursed as she was forced to evade another whip from her cloaked adversary, Sasori. _'This guy… he isn't normal.'_ Cursing herself again as she barely avoided certain death by the skin of her teeth she leapt back a safe distance before she began to blur thru a series of hand signs, "Suiton: Taifuu no Ryuu!( Water Style: Dragon Typhoon)" Gathering the water around her, she hastily unleashed a torrent of dragons at the mysterious, but dangerous nuke-nin that impacted with a tremendous crash, completely destroying a section of the bridge. As the dust settled from the attack, there was nothing left of the cloud wearing nin other than shred's of his hat. Letting out a sigh of relief the young jounin made a hasty beeline for her injured senpai and the currently incapacitated Zabuza.

"KATSURAGI!!"

That was all the warning she got before she felt something pierce her body. "N-nani…?" She questioned as she looked down at the intrusive piece of metal that was poking out of her abdomen, "Oh…" Were the last words that escaped her lips before she collapsed onto her knees shortly before impacting with the ground. _'G-gomen… Na-ru…to…'_

"Well, that's one down. Hm, a virtually crippled man, and an unconscious one, I seem to have received the shorter end of the stick. Regardless, now I shall merely eliminate you and Zabuza-san and collect the reward from Gato. That should shut Kakuzu up for a while." Sasori mumbled as he approached the downed ex-ANBU. "It is a shame to kill one such as yourself in such a dishonorable manner completely unbefitting of a man of your former caliber. You have my condolences." Slowly the red-head raised his tail as he prepared to deliver his death blow. "Sayonara, Sharingan Kakashi."

_'Obito… Sensei… Outo-san… gomen.'_

_**CLANK**_

"Keh, you talk a lot of smack for a weakling." The Zanbatou wielding missing-nin taunted as his blade was all that stood between Kakashi and an early grave.

"Oh? Still able to move? I admit I might have underestimated your tenacity. However…" The charcoal haired kiri-nin received no warning. Again another fighter on the bridge was caught off guard and looked down to see a second smaller tail impaled thru his chest cavity, "Your stupidity is second to none. And to think Kisame held you in such high regard… oh?" The ex-Suna nin raised an eyebrow as a large gash appeared on his chest. Stepping back Sasori examined the damage done, in the end it was no more than a shallow wound, but still…

"It'll take more than that to…" Zabuza never got to finish as the words died in his throat. _'What, happened…?'_ Was the last thought that ran thru Zabuza's mind as his head slid from his shoulders. The dark eyed Sasori merely glared at the decapitated body that slowly fell to the ground, "Confident banter is reserved for the victor." He growled as he kicked the severed head of his former opponent to the side. Turning he eyed the now downcast Hatake.

"Well, let us resume where we left off, ne?"

"You… you're a monster. A blood thirsty murderer. Do you feel nothing for the life you ended?"

"Hm? Are your gray hairs not just for show? If I recall, I killed two people." Turning his head to the side, he caught slight movement. Taking his chance, the young Jounin quickly put distance between himself and the homicidal blood-head, "Hm, it would seem that you are correct. Regardless I'll deal with her after I take your head, after all our organization does require funds."

"Organization? Who do you work for? Aren't you Gato's?"

"Hm? Oh! You mean the fat one. I found him unpleasant and underfunded, so we dealt with him. No I don't think it matters who we work for or with, as long as I achieve my goals, then I will eliminate all that interfere."

"Goals? You're not after the complete domination of the elemental countries?"

"Such a cliqué goal. No, my goal is much simpler: 'The Perfect Puppet'. And what better to use than a human? I wonder how well your body will endure."

"M-Monster! You're worse than trash; creatures like you don't even deserve to be called human anymore!"

"You may call me as you see fit, regardless, I did what I had to in order to ensure that my goals were accomplished. Was he not the same? Are you not the same? In the end we are nothing but tools, but like tools there will always be superior ones."

"You're despicable. I… I won't let you get away. YOU'LL PAY! **CHIDORI!**" The silver haired nin roared as he leapt at his opponent with a newfound determination.

"Baka, so be it, join Zabuza in hell!" The red head growled as he fired several clawed and spiked appendages and projectiles at the charging gray haired Hatake.

"_**DIE!!"**_ Both combatants yelled as their attacks collided. And a blur of blue and yellow stood between them.

"B-Baka na… Y-You're dead!"

"Sensei…"

There between both combatants holding both attacks millimeters from impact stood a tall blond man, his sun colored hair tossed about in unruly spikes and cold aqua eyes that radiated power. Gone was his signature cloak and headband, replaced instead with a protector with a whirl in its center, his cloak a darker black that matched that of Sasori, but with blue swirls and curves another whirl again in the center of the back of the cloak, giving the impression of a rampaging storm. Slowly the frosty eyes of the blond turned to face Sasori.

"Akatsuki, surrender at once and leave or I shall be forced to eliminate you prematurely."

The words that the blond spoke were soft, yet laced with undeniable threat and power. Deciding against tempting fate at the current distance, the ex-Suna nin leapt back from his opponent, "Oh really? Pardon me if I don't believe…" Again the underhanded red-head lashed out at his unprepared opponent; this time however, instead of impacting with the target, the red-haired Akatsuki member was met with a bright flash of yellow and was forced to use a mizu-bunshin to avoid his premature death as a violent perfect sphere of pure chakra decimated his clone. _'K-kuso… this… this is…'_ Jumping clear over the blond and landing in front of his stitched together ally, he quickly kicked aside the pathetic stalling technique of the Uchiha, the Aburame and the trembling Haruno.

"Kakuzu! We leave now! Forget the child we must report to Leader-sama about this new development!"

Cursing, the thread-nin cast a look around for at least the head of the decapitated Kiri-nin, but finding it out of reach settled for his blade.

"Akatsuki." Both members froze as a flash of yellow appeared in front of them, "Take this message to your leader: 'Even the largest of clouds is no more than a slave to the mighty wind.' Your days are numbered, Aoikaze (Blue Wind) has come."

~-~-~-~

The battle had reached an unexpected (and anti-climatic) conclusion, but not an unwelcome one. After giving his warning the Yondaime disappeared without so much as a word, leaving a confused and somewhat depressed Kakashi. So far, the young faux-Hunter was taking the death of her master and father figure quite hard, and it had taken the combined effort of teams seven and eight to stop her from killing herself. That had also been a slight surprise in and on itself; no one had really expected for the skilled hunter to be a huntress. Hinata and the mostly incapacitated Katsuragi had taken a huge offense to the news. None the less, things went back to there tense normalcy between the Uchiha survivor and the Hyuuga princess, leaving a confused Haku who was told that she was better off not knowing.

Finally, a week later, the time had come to leave with a slightly saddened group of Konoha-nin and a gloomy ice-princess as she had been dubbed by Kiba after he had not so subtly tried to hit on her and received a very well placed kick in return. Looking back at the village, one Katsuragi Yume sighed sadly as she followed the her temporary team and allies to the gates of the bridge after being given a celebration for freeing Wave from the iron fist of Gato. _'So you weren't here after all, huh Naruto-kun?' _Sighing again, she forced a smile as the Hyuuga heiress showed her the flowers that the people of Wave had given them when she ran into the firm form of her senpai (and former secret crush) Hatake Kakashi.

"Kakashi-senpai? Is something the…?" A sudden crashing of glass to her left startled her as she turned to see a pale Hinata.

"Hinata-chan?"

"I-it's a dream…"

"What is it…? Hinata-chan, Hatake-senpai?"

Peering around the stiff Hatake, Yume caught sight of a dark black and silver outfit.

"OHAYO!"

The voice caused all who knew it to freeze because there before them, smiling, was a young man. His untidy blond hair was set in spikes that flared all around his head, his crystal clear azure eyes were shining with happiness with thin scars on his cheeks that resembled whiskers running on the edges of his face. Truly, nothing had changed about the boy except for a few feet in growth and his dark outfit, and the strange forehead protector he wore.

"Hey guys, it's nice to meet cha'! My name is Naruto Uzumaki, also formerly known as the Nine-tailed demon Maverick of Konohagakure. It's a pleasure to be traveling back to that hell hole with all of you! Please treat me better than they did or I'll have to gut you like fish!" The kind smile never left his lips, but his eyes took on a darker hue. Naruto had returned.

**Kuroi-Yasha: Well, that's it for chapter 4. I know, not that great of an ending. Well, actually this is the sixth time I've re-written this chapter, and I'm still not happy. But I'm out of time, and I can only hope you guys enjoyed at least part of the chapter.**

**I'd like to take this time and thank all the people who gave me such wonderful reviews as well as respond to some of them. So firstly lets get thru with the responces,**

Perpetual159 (_AFF. net)_: **All is well, don't worry, I should have told you that I had taken your offer and not just randomly sent it to you. Its alright though, because I have a great beta currently, but I'm glad that you read my story anyways and eventually remembered. So no harm done, hope you enjoyed the chapter and hope to hear more from you soon.**

ShouraiChan (_AFF. net)_: **Holy crap! I can honestly tell you you did indeed scare the crap out of me. When I first ready the begining of your review I was certain that I had gotten my first flame, and I was thinking '**_**I can't believe it! I got my first flame on what I thought was my best chapter! Do I really suck that bad?' **_**And then I got really depressed and was about to close the window, but I figured, '**_**What the hell, if someone didn't like it, then maybe atleast they can help me make it a bit better.**_**' and so, I read the rest and was emensely relieved when it turned out that you had actually loved my story, so ShouraiChan, **_**Domo Arigatou!**_

Miheran (_MM. org)_: **Thank you very much for the review! Yes, I tried to give Hinata an almost entire makeover, however she is still the sweet Hina-chan, just with a whole lot of bad-ass-ness to make things more interesting. Actually i based this Hinata off of a girl who use to be kinda mean to me when I was little, but I never really understood why. MUCH LATER I found out that she liked me, and that was why she was mean. Still made no sence, but I guess attraction is kinda like that isn't it? Anyways hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

Kyuubi123 (_FF. net)_: **YES!! PEOPLE LOVE BADASS HINATA!!! SHE WILL OWN ALL NOOBS!! Ahem, actually...yeah...random moment there. Well, I'm glad that you continue to support my story and love my characters. Thank you for your review! Hope to hear from you again!**

NiebieskiLis _(FF. net)_: **Again, I am so glad that people love the new and (semi) improved Hinata. Cause I like her regardless of her shy nature, actually that's what makes me like her period. Anyhow, I hope that this chapter made you happy, and I hope to hear from you again. Thanks for the feedback! **

CunningFox _(FF. net)_: **Heh, yeah. Sorry you have to picture that, but unfortunately that is who our new Hina-chan is. Don't worry she'll use other phrases, but I like turd the most. Its degrading, but still lets her keep her dignity. I can't promise she'll stop using it, but I'll try using it less. Thanks for the review!**

**Now, just because I didn't reply to you doesn't mean that you are any less important; **_**WolfLord04, EDelta88, PsyCHo, Dusk Raider**_**, **_**kyuubiNaru1990, Selonianth and blackraven1412BR.**_ **I'd like to thank you all for your kind words and your support, as an author nothing means more to me than the praise and kind words of readers. THANK YOU ALL SO VERY MUCH!!**

**Now, next chapter will be up in about (you guessed it!) a month. Unfortunately I am a ungodly slow writer and am very prone to writers block. However if I get lots of reviews I shall force my sorry lazy ass to write faster and longer. Next chapter will be at least 5k words, so you won't be disappointed and I'll also include a nice little intro as always. Well next chapter will be all Naruto and Hinata, and Naruto's long awaited return. Also I'll give an explanation on Naruto's power and other fun stuff. See you all soon!**

**Ja Ne!**


	5. Crimson Dawn

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Kuroi-Yasha: Sorry, not an update perse, but I fixed everything that was wrong with the previous version of this chapter since I had so many people telling me it was bad and had many errors. I was using a new typing program and apparently FF. NET didn't take it too well, so here it is new and fully corrected. ENJOY!

DISCLAIMER: I DONT OWN NARUTO. Never have, never will. I only write for fun and to hopefully entertain. I make no money whatsoever on this fic.

I would also like to thank my beta who is always doing his best to make my horrible writting legible. Link to him is on my bio page.

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Final Straw　

By: Kuroi-Yasha　  
Chapter 5: Crimson Dawn　  
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How long How long Will I slide?  
I separate my side  
I don't I don't believe it's fair Slitting my throat is all I ever

-Otherside by the Red Hot Chili Peppers　  
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"**_Well you sure are fucked this time brat."_**

The irritatingly smug voice of the Kyuubi no Kitsune taunted from within Naruto's mind. However, unlike other times in the past, the young blond did not rebuke or in anyway respond to the demon-lord's usual taunts. This time, Naruto couldn't argue with the fox for the simple reason that the fox was absolutely** right.** The young jinchuuriki could not deny the foxs words no matter how much he wished he could. Sighing sadly, he merely rested his head against the cold walls of his cell. In actuality, this was kind of ironic for the young Naruto; here he was, the container locked away in a cell made just for him.

Again Naruto said nothing as he looked out of the small window, towards the pale full moon that slowly began to glow brighter in the darkening sky, that they had been kind (sadistic) enough to give him. His guards telling him, as they shackled him to the walls, to enjoy what little time he had left because when he saw the light of day, it would quite literally be **the last** time he saw it.'So is this how it ends? Was Otou-sans sacrifice for nothing?' He could hear the dark chuckles of the Kyuubi grow louder as his thoughts reached it. This time however it was the demon that said nothing, but his laughter was response enough, a cruel laugh that was like a slap in the face.

Resigning himself for what was to come, the young blond closed his eyes, a sad grin appearing on his face. 'At least I take you with me. That's a bit of a consolation. Hope you had fun in your cell fuzz-ball 'cause in a few hours we're both toast.' This time, instead of laughter he was greeted with a snarl and loud cursing as the fox tried everything in the book to try and escape. 'I resent that you never even knew my mother.' Regardless, the Kyuubi continued to insult anything and everything it could as it bashed against the bars of his prison.

A feeling of hot rage, not his own however, passed thru the young boy as the Kyuubi's demonic chakra flowed thru his body and down his arms towards the shackles that kept him imprisoned. However it was about as effective as it had been with his own chakra, meaning it did nothing. If anything, Naruto observed, it actually seemed to make the restraints that much more resilient. Growing tired, the blond closed his azure eyes, for what might very be the last time. His last sight before sleep took him was the pale moon in the sky, and his last thought oddly enough was of the young Hyuuga he'd befriended, if only for a little. 'Hinata-chan I'm sorry I didn't mean to grope you.'

'Irony is a bitch ain't it?'

**~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~**

"_QUICKLY CAPTURE HIM!"_

"_HE JUST WENT AROUND THE BUILDING!"_

"_SURROUND HIM! DO NOT LET HIM ESCA AAARRGHH!"_His inner thoughts were not betrayed by his outer ecstatic farce as he consumed what the other's in the group could only call an ungodly amount of instant ramen. Still, his old self had loved the instant lunch to almost a fanatical level. Over time however he'd come to realize, with the help of the Kyuubi, that the food did nothing in the means of providing him the necessary proteins for strong growth and in actuality only stunted it due to the large amounts of sodium involved. And so, he steadily grew more accustomed to 'healthier' foods, and within months he could actually feel his body becoming stronger. As time passed, due to his better diet and rigid training regime, he steadily changed from the scrawny undersized boy, to a taller, stronger and all around better Naruto.

The screams and yells startled the young blond from his slumber as he stood on shaky legs. He couldn't see very far, but he could see the guards scrambling to and fro at high speeds. Clearly someone was doing something illegal. And he could only hope that they were somehow trying to help him. Though with his luck it would probably turn out to be someone that wanted to kill the 'demon' personally. And so sighing he walked from the window and sat back down, he would either be rescued, or he would be killed. Perhaps it was the weariness or the chakra suppressors but at the moment both possibilities sounded good to him. As such he was only mildly surprised when the wall to his immediate right exploded and in flew several pieces of chakra suppressing rock and quite a few 'incapacitated' Uchiha.

He could not however conceal his happiness as the familiar ANBU stood before him. "Ohayo Naruto-kun." Was all the Kitsune said as he freed the child from his shackles before tossing three kunai at the exact moment a guard rounded the corner. Naruto wasn't stupid, he knew what death was and knew that killing ninja of your village was a quick and surefire way to get yourself marked as a nukenin, but as he watched the life leave the eyes of the guard he couldn't help but feel a small twinge of elation at the mans death.

"We must hurry, it will only be a matter of time before the rest of the village shinobi arrive and even I am no match for all of them together without help."

Nothing further was needed as Naruto nodded to his savior and quickly picked the kunai out of the guard's corpse and pocketed them. There was no way the village would kill him without a fight.

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_'Such a vile, disgusting form of edible garbage'_

Despite his current dislike for the sodium-saturated meal, he had to keep up his appearance as much as possible so as to not draw unnecessary suspicion. Despite how it had looked on the bridge in his brief skirmish with the members of Akatsuki he had only won that battle because he had caught them unawares and, with _a lot_ of help from the fox, had managed to trick them into believing that 'Konoha's Yellow Flash' was still alive and working against them. In fact all he had really done was used a well placed Shunshin laced with a highly complex genjutsu in order to imitate the _'Hiraishin no jutsu'_ that the Yondaime was famous for. The Rasengan had however been done by himself thanks to the Kyuubi. In actuality when he considered everything he had been extremely lucky that the Kyuubi, being a Kitsune, had been able to provide him with an illusion that not even the Byakugan nor the Sharingan had been able to penetrate. _Still, _He mused as he began his final cup of ramen, '_That isnt something I must rely on. It drains a lot of chakara and is very hard to keep up for longer than three minutes.'_

Sighing in satisfaction the blond rose to his feet, "Man am I stuffed! Well then, should we continue on to the hell hole?" Quite a few glares followed his statement as Yume walked to his side and gently placed a hand on his shoulder. "Naruto-kun, I don't think its wise for you to keep insulting our home village like that" The blonds' smile left his face only to be replaced with a cold glare, "What exactly are you trying to insinuate with that? _I_ don't belong to that shit hole of a village. Maybe at one point in time I inhabited that place you people call 'home' but that all changed on that wonderful day that the village council ordered an eight year old child to be executed or did you happen to forget_ Yume-san?"_

The blond snarled as he broke free from her grasp and continued on his way towards the gates of the village.

The older woman looked away from the boy as an aloof-looking Kakashi walked up next to her an placed a reassuring hand on her, "He'll be fine, I didn't really expect him to be particularly enthusiastic in returning to the village that treated him like dirt for eight years of his life before trying to kill him. If anything I think he's taking it fairly well." His words did little to reassure the tokubetsu-jounin as she followed the silver-haired Hatake with an oddly reserved teams Seven and Eight and Haku following.

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Konohagakure no Saito had changed very little in the years that he had been banished from it. Or to be precise the years in which he had fled from the accursed village in order to remain alive. He slowly approached the gates and examined his surroundings. The gates before him were open and if he wanted to he could most likely sneak past the guards and meet the old man without anyone being the wiser, but he didn't want to risk being prematurely killed for any of the many reason's that the village could and probably would come up with. So being the good 'guest' he was, he stood waiting even as the Chuunin guards glared at him suspiciously. Before they could question him however, from the forest emerged first the Copy-Cat Hatake Kakashi, then the Medic-nin Katsuragi Yume followed by teams Seven and Eight respectively. Sparing a glance from his book the silver-haired Jounin gave the guards a small wave before putting a hand on the young Uzumaki's shoulder and leading him inside the village.

Inside the village, the young Uzumaki began to notice that no one paid any attention to him. In the past just stepping into the streets was more than enough to get him stoned half to death. Now however he could clearly see that no one paid him any mind. Perhaps it was because of the Ninja entourage he was traveling with or (more than likely) it was the lack of his horrendous former jumpsuit that had him sticking out and into their vision, either way the blond found he could tolerate being in the village when he wasn't being threatened with certain death around every corner. Out of the corner of his eye he could see a couple of villagers setting up decorations for an upcoming festival. His eyes narrowed as he could think of only one festival that all of Konoha's citizens participated in. Scoffing, he set his eyes back on the path he was walking with his assigned escort, "Stupid villagers." He muttered as he saw one of villagers nail a dead fox to a tree. Chancing a look, the elder Jounin grimaced at some of the villager's more questionable traditions.

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'I take it back. At this rate we'll be lucky if he doesn't go on a killing spree by the end of the week.'

Much to the relief of the older shinobi they quickly arrived at the Hokage's tower and filled in. "Alright, Genin follow me, we'll be reporting to Hokage-sama first about our mission, then Katsuragi-chan and Uzumaki-san will enter for a private meeting."

Nodding the groups separated and the blue haired heiress turned once more to look at the stranger that so much resembled and claimed to be the boy she had at some point been smitten with. "You okay Hin?" A concerned Kiba voiced as he noticed the girl falling behind. "Hai, Kiba do you really think can it really be him?" The Inuzuka raised an eyebrow, but quickly realized what his teammate was asking. In response the brown haired boy shrugged, "I dunno my memory of him is kinda fuzzy, its almost like it was removed." He fell quiet at the end of his statement, it wasn't long before another voice interjected, "It's him alright." The apathetic voice of the Uchiha caused the heiress to glare up at him, she still hadn't forgiven him but no longer felt a need to murder him; for the moment. The raven haired avenger ignored her scathing look and turned his head to look at her slightly. "I remembered him form after our little scuffle." He refused to admit he'd been beaten; he was merely caught off guard.

Looking back ahead as they reached the doors of the Hokage's office he fell back into place with his team, "Either way the Hokage will most likely confirm it sooner or later. Then we'll see if he really is the _Kitsune_." The last part was said with such contempt and hatred that even Hinata shivered a little. The hatred of the Kyuubi wasn't something that was exactly a secret in the village anymore, not since Naruto's _supposed '_execution'. After that the council had publicly repealed the Sandaime's law and told everyone that the Kyuubi no Kitsune was finally dead. With her memory restored, Hinata now finally understood why her childhood crush had been hated so viciously and treated worse that an animal; to the villagers he was the demon incarnate. Her resolve settled, she decided she would have to speak with him if she was going to get anywhere.

As her attention returned to the group, she was surprised to find that she'd been so entranced in thought that most of the meeting had already passed and all that was left was to settle on what to do with the young faux-hunter-nin. "Very interesting. Well, I have no doubt that the council will be eager to add you to our ninja ranks as well as have you set up your own clan. However this is all up to you. Moreover judging from Kakashi's report you easily qualify as a Chuunin so the decision is entirely up to you. What do you wish to do Haku-san?" All eyes turned to the quiet ice maiden as she looked down. "I I am uncertain. I thank you for your kindness and compassion, however I am still unsure of what I want. Might I be allowed some time to decide?" The elderly Hokage nodded as he looked to the silver haired copy-cat, "Very well. Kakashi, might I be able to count on you to watch over the young Haku?" The younger man slumped slightly but agreed nonetheless, _'And here I had been hoping to finally catch up on my reading. Yare yare'_

Smiling, Sarutobi turned to the gathered shinobi and muttered the words they all wanted to hear the most, "Well done everyone, dismissed."

No sooner had the doors closed that they opened again and in walked a boy he hadn't seen in five long years, "Its been a long time toshiyori (Old man)." The elderly Hokage's smile widened at the familiar term and quickly walked over and embraced the young jinchuuriki. "Yes it has Naruto, far too long for this old man. Now tell me, how have you been? I know life must have been hard for you. I cannot ask for you to forgive me for failing you when you needed me most." The young blond smiled sincerely at the Hokage before he stepped back and bowed, "You don't need to apologize toshiyori; hell if it wasn't for you I would have died that night. Anyways, I've been okay and now thanks to those shinobi you've freed my home from that troublesome Gatou. However, I have a feeling that you called me here today for more than just pleasantries. And if I am to assume correctly you want me to come back to the village don't you?"

The eldest Sarutobi sighed as he walked back to his seat, "Yes Naruto you have indeed assumed correctly. I know you do not wish to return to this village after all that it has done to you, but I must implore you to reconsider for your own safety." The blond looked away and walked towards a portrait of the Shodaime, "By this I assume you mean the threat posed by Akatsuki?" The shocked look on the two adults in the room were all he needed to see, "Yes, I know of Akatsuki. In fact I know more about them than even I find comfortable. Regardless of whether I am a match for them or not isn't the problem, the problem is that you believe that eventually they will capture me and use me for an unknown purpose. Despite all this, even if you were to explain everything to the council and the village I doubt they would welcome back the Kyuubi no Kitsune with open arms. So I have to ask toshiyori, what's your plan?" And as soon as those words left Naruto's mouth he regretted them, for the smile the Sandaime gave him sent shivers down his spine.

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The days passed much too slowly for the Hyuuga heiress' taste. Even more infuriating than the seemingly drawn out passage of time was the fact that no matter how hard she tried, she had been unable to locate the blond haired jinchuuriki that never seemed to leave her mind. _'And those dreams' _She was powerless to stop the blush that threatened to consume her as images of her rather risqué fanta er dreams flashed in her mind's eyes. _'Stupid Kiba is beginning to rub off on me.'_ Speaking of the ninken he was currently one of the many banes of her existence as he was once again trying to get her to agree to go on a date with him, "Come on Hin! The festival is tomorrow, I know you're planning on going. Wouldn't it be easier if we went together?" She had to admit he was determined and tenacious in trying to get a date with her, but unfortunately she wasn't in the mood to put up with him. "ENOUGH ALREADY!" She cried exasperated as she rounded on the Inuzuka, "I've told you countless times that I will only date someone who is stronger than me, and so far the only ones to do so are Kurenai-sensei and Haku-san. So until you beat me, stop pestering me!"

A rush of wind was all the warning she received before she was nearly impaled by a pair of kunai that missed her head by millimeters cutting strands of her hair. "Well, never thought I'd have to fight you. I thought for sure you were crooked." An irradiated growl was all she received as a response before she again moved her head to avoid another swarm of kunai, this time however she noticed thin threads wrapped around the metallic instruments. "Katon: Gamayu Endan (Fire Style: Fire Blowing)." A stream of flames raced down the oil drenched ropes and quickly ensnared her in a deadly embrace. As the flames cleared, a scorched log was now in place of the Hyuuga heiress as the dark haired Uchiha dodged to the side and avoided a potentially lethal Jyuuken strike. Moving with the natural flow of his body, the Uchiha's leg shot out with frightening accuracy as it connected with an audible thud with the Hyuugas ribs sending her reeling quite a few meters.

A hiss of pain escaped her as she retook her stance, "Not that I really care, but why did you suddenly decide to challenge me? I thought that things like dates and girls were 'trivial and pointless' according to you." The Uchiha said nothing as he charged at the slightly younger kunoichi, his fist shooting into a lightning fast jab that was deflected by his opponent and quickly countered only to be parried by his own defense. Ducking under a strike, he made a hook at his opponents exposed side, only to be rewarded with an unbelievably fast roundhouse kick to his face. Dodging the follow up, he quickly put some space between them with a couple of shuriken as he flashed thru several hand signs, "Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu (Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique)." The immense fireball that rushed towards her was bigger than normal, there was no doubt that it would kill her if she didn't avoid it or block it, but at the current distance she couldn't substitute or jump out of the way so she had only one other option, "KAITEN! (Rotation)" The shell of pure rotating chakra quickly snuffed out the fireball that had threatened her life. Unfortunately, the Kaiten's weakness was that it left the user momentarily disoriented, and she'd seen Sasuke's eyes when he launched the attack, they were blood red, he had his Sharingan.

__

'That's why he's fighting me now, with his Sharingan he knows that he is on even grounds with my Byakugan. I'll have to finish this quickly or I'll lose in terms of chakra capacity.'

However the minutes dragged by and Hinata found her situation growing more and more desperate. She could hear Kiba shouting encouragement from the sidelines, but it did little to help her. In terms of strength and chakra he had the obvious advantage, she had speed and flexibility, but with her chakra running low things were looking grim. Cursing as she dodged another hail of kunai and was forced to take several body blows followed by a vicious uppercut, against her will she staggered backwards and fell to a knee. "K-kuso..." she muttered as she tried to stand. As she struggled to gather herself up the Uchiha avenger landed in front of her, his smirk taunting her as his Sharingan spun mockingly. "Well, it seems that I was too much for you. I'm slightly disappointed that you didn't put up a better fight, but then again you certainly outclass the rest of the kunoichi in our class and I am an Uchiha after all. So do you surrender yet or do I have to render you unconscious?" The smugness in his voice only served to irritate her. Now she knew how Kiba felt, the irony of this fact was not lost on her.

"Go fuck yourself princess this isn't over." His scowl and angry snarl were worth the pain that his next attack brought. Crashing against the trunk of a tree she could feel herself losing the battle with unconsciousness.

__

'I guess I'm no match for him after all, huh? Gomen Naruto-kun.'

'DON'T GIVE UP HINATA!'

The voice that rang thru her head snapped her out of her stupor. _'Naruto-kun?!' _There was no reply to her question, but she could feel a surge of energy rush thru her. '_Hai, I won't give up. Arigato Naruto-kun!' _As Sasuke approached her for the final attack she knew she only had one chance, if she missed it was all over there would be no second chance. She saw in slow motion as Sasuke drew back his fist the twin tomoe in his eyes twirling and Kiba getting ready to jump forward and help her. And then there! In the shadows of the forest, in a tree normally hidden from her view, she saw it: a flash of yellow and a streak of silver.

He was there, he had helped her and she wouldn't lose. So as Sasuke's fist shot forward she sprung. Chakra shot thru her body as she activated her Byakugan and launched her clan's most valued technique, "_Hakke Rokujuyon Sho (Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms)."_ The name bounced off the surrounding trees and filled the clearing as the attack ended in a matter of seconds. Both shinobi stood perfectly still, before the dark haired Uchiha collapsed; the small amounts of chakra that had been forced into him shut down most of his body, rendering him virtually harmless.

"YAHOO!! YOU DID IT HINATA!! YOU KICKED HIS ASS!!"

The blue haired kunoichi smiled softly at her companion and turned to where she had seen the blond nin of her affections, and wasn't surprised to find that there was no one there. Still it did little to stop the smile that spread across her face.

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'Arigato Naruto-kun.'

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The blond haired jinchuuriki sighed as he disappeared from the forest. Landing softly in the relative safety of the forest he let out a sigh; why had he gone to see the fight between the blue haired kunoichi and the rooster haired boy? He had to admit it had been a spectacular match and he was certain that she would lose several times, but each time she surprised him again and again refusing to lose and executing spectacular moves that allowed her to avoid danger. _'But why do I feel a certain connection with her? I don't even know her. And yet, she feels like someone who was very important to me. I guess I'll find out soon enough.' _Smiling a devious grin, the azure eyed Uzumaki made his way back to his temporary home. Tomorrow would be a fun day.

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The day of the festival came with much anticipation in the villagers of Konohagakure, at last they would once again be able to celebrate the death of the vile Kyuubi no Youko that had ravaged their village thirteen years prior and had brought about the death of their most powerful and respected leader Minato Namikaze. Though he was most commonly know as the Yondaime Hokage for very few knew his actual name. The morning hours of the festival were reserved for mourning and remembering those who had given their lives to protect the village from the demon lord. Hundreds of villagers dressed in black filled the streets as they made their way to the cemetery or the Memorial stone to honor their family and friends for their sacrifices. It was to this scene that Naruto awoke.

He had never really seen the festival in all the time he had lived in the village, what with him being the ire of the inhabitants and all. Still even he couldn't help but feel a little moved by the entire scene before him from his private balcony in the elegant hotel where he was temporarily residing. _'So, even they still have shreds of decency that show every now and then.' _He still hated the village with all his being, but he couldn't bring any hatred towards them for the moment. Whether this changed or not would depend on how the day went. He would still have his revenge on the village, but perhaps _some_ of them could be forgiven.

Turning his back to the village, he walked back into the room and gathered his equipment; he had some business to attend to before he attended the festival later in the day. _'I need some kunai and shuriken. I also need some more clothing until I can get the rest of my belongings from Wave.' _He could feel a certain nagging at the back of his mind that told him someone was searching for him, he had little doubt it was that _Hinata_ girl that seemed hell bent on finding him. He didn't know why, but he wanted to meet with the girl as well, but for some reason his body refused to allow him to be in the same location as her for very long. In fact, yesterday had been a prime example. He could _somehow_ feel her calling out to him and somehow his own body had responded and gave her a surge of energy that allowed her to beat her opponent. How he had managed this he did not know, but he had. Even more bothersome was the fact that Kyuubi, for some reason, refused to talk to him. Normally he would assume it was because the fox was pissed that he hadn't blown something up yet, but something felt wrong, almost as if the fox was being held back

Shaking away his worries he quickly headed out of the building, receiving several bows and greetings from the workers and staff, as well as several cat calls. Shaking his head at what they would think when they learned who he really was. As far as anyone in the village was concerned, he was just another child; albeit a very heavily equipped and potentially lethal child. His head band was currently being kept by the Hokage, his reason being that he wanted to avoid as many casualties as possible before he had settled everything with Naruto and the village. Almost automatically, his body began to lead him on a path towards his destination while at the same time avoiding the one kunoichi he wanted most to talk to and vice-versa. As a result within minutes he was entering a very discreet shop from which several Shinobi, and an occasional civilian, could be seen leaving. The small building had a very plain looking exterior, the only thing that separated this building from those around it was the small sign that read _'Higarishi Weapons and Accessories: Best in all of Konoha!'_ The inside however was what he expected from the claim of being the best.

Indeed the shop did have the right to claim itself the best he thought to himself as he picked a random weapon from the wall and ran a calloused finger across its blade and was rewarded with a small trail of blood that quickly stopped as his healing powers took effect. He had no doubt that these weapons could cut through solid steel with enough force and still be able to cleanly slice through a tomato. "Can I help you sir?" A feminine voice called sweetly, yet held a definite deadly quality that demanded respect. Turning, his glacier orbs met soft auburn and instantly he knew this girl would be a valuable asset to his forces. As such he was quick to turn on the charm that had helped make his life much easier while he resided at Wave. "Ah, Ohayo Tenshu-san (Ms. Shopkeeper)! Yes, a bit of assistance would indeed be appreciated and from a beauty like yourself it would indeed be very welcome."

The slight blush that followed his compliment assured him that he had won himself a little more confidence in her eyes as she smiled softly at him.

"I'm Ten-ten, and with what would you require assistance?" There was a slight pause.

"Call me Naruto." She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Naruto...? Doesn't that mean fish-cakes?" He quickly shook his head.

"No, well, I mean yes but I'd rather take it to mean Maelstrom if that's alright with you."　 She giggled at him as he hurried to try to put himself in a better light (seemingly; in actuality he was just lowering her guard).

It had the desired effect as she stepped from behind the counter. "Very well fish-cake-san." She giggled again as he pouted, "What can I do for you today?" She was dressed in a rather snug pink top which had a very oriental style to it, not quite like a kimono but definitely from a rather similar form. Her pants were easier to place as regular green khaki most favored by shinobi for their comfort and mobility. He gave her his charming smile again and pulled a list from his silver jacket and handed it to her. Taking the list, she read through it and as she read her eyebrows slowly began an upwards ascent. Looking back at him her eyes held a glint of suspicion, "We carry all of these weapons, but this is more of a list expected from a veteran Jounin than from a civilian. So unfortunately I can't sell any of this to you with the exception of a few items gomen nasai." His grin didn't falter one bit even as he internally tried to find a way to get the things he needed, _'I could use my powers on her, but it's daytime and I'm not sure how strong her will is think'_

"That's alright, I didn't expect to get any of that right now anyways. You see I haven't been instated as a Shinobi of the village yet so it's only natural for you to be suspicious. Could I however ask you to please gather them all and hold them for me?" She let out a sigh of relief when she realized he wasn't going to try and beg them out of her; she kinda liked him and really didn't want to have to go and mess up his handsome face. She nodded as she went back behind the counter and almost disappeared from view with the exception of the buns on the top of her head. In seconds she reappeared with a new satchel filled with several standard field equipment, several new holsters filled with kunai and shuriken and a few blank scrolls for sealing. "That's all I can give to someone who doesn't have a headband. I'm sorry Naruto-san."

He shook his head as he quickly gathered all the supplies and strapped them on, "No need to apologize Ten-Ten-san. Like I said, I wasn't really expecting to walk out of here with all the stuff on the list so these will do for now." Pulling a fair amount of bills out of his pocket he dropped a couple on the counter, "Thanks for all the help! I'll be back for the rest of the stuff soon!" And before she could respond, he was gone. Smiling softly she grabbed the bills, "I wish all the customers were like him wait a minute" She looked at the bills and her mind went blank for a couple of seconds. "H-he" She stood like that until her father emerged from the back of the shop and shook his daughter out of her stupor and asked what was wrong. And once she told him he had the exact same look. He'd only left a few bills, but he'd over paid by _two hundred thousand _ryo. . A small dribble of saliva escaped her lips at the thought of someone so handsome, smart, and rich

"He is so _mine_"

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

Naruto smirked to himself as he left the store and made his way through the town in search of a shop with decent clothing. Everything had gone exactly as hed planned, well minus getting all his weaponry but that would have just been a nice bonus. Yes, and he was sure that thanks to that small tip hed left she would be very willing to help him in _anything_ he needed. Stopping outside of a small store he glanced around at its designs before going inside. Twenty minutes later he emerged with a new wardrobe of clothing and a smile on his face. _'Poor girl never knew what hit her.'_

**~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~**

Nightfall came sooner than Naruto had expected, as he left his hotel for what would hopefully be the last night. The festival itself would take place all over the village, however most of the people tended to gather around the center for this was where the Hokage himself would usually make a speech. So it was with this in mind that the blond jinchuuriki headed of towards the heart of the village.

The air around the core of the village was so laden with excitement that if he had not been the victim of several near-death on such a day he would have been honored to call himself a resident of Konohagakure. As it was though he couldnt resist the little that remained of his inner child and walked around examining several stands and buying some foods that he found intriguing. As he walked he couldnt help but smirk as he found that the stares that he received continued to grow, it was even better when he found that a majority were coming from the members of the opposite sex. He admitted to himself (with _no small_ amount of narcissism) that he was indeed the most _sexelicious_ specimen currently residing in the village. Earlier in the small shop he had found an outfit that he knew without a doubt was perfect for him. So he had bought it, and had been very much right judging from the amount of looks he kept getting.

He wore an almost too tight dark blue undershirt. However, it was cut at a almost circular shape at the very top, revealing what would have been a very indecent amount of cleavage had he been a woman, but ended up just showing of the well built chest he possessed. This resulted in him being very comfortable in the shirt despite its snugness and did not hinder his movements should he be attacked. Over said shirt he had a slightly loose fitting crimson mesh shirt that contrasted beautifully with his undershirt but horribly with his hair. That in his opinion gave him a certain air that said I know how I look and I dont give _two-fucks_ what you think. Over said mesh he wore an open pure white dress-shirt that served to bring out the colors even more and over that a midnight blue summer trench minus the belt and pockets. To round up the look he wore dark orange and black pants that gave his outfit a very twisted appearance. In hind sight he realized he must look like a very bad dresser, but one look in a mirror reassured him that only someone like him could pull off such a horrible combination.

Confidence renewed he made his way throughout the remaining stands, carefully avoiding the Ichirakus stand. He really had nothing against them, seeing as they were one of the few establishments that hadnt overcharged him or refused to serve him. That being said though he knew he would be in for a lot of questions that he didnt want to answer right now. Hed speak to them after the Sandaimes speech. Speaking of which, it was almost time for the old man to make his grand appearance. So he quickly made his way to the center of the square and made himself comfortable in the lower branches of a tree that overlooked the stage where the Third would speak.

__

'This is going to be so much fun!'

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Hinata Hyuuga sighed as she was finally able to lose her persistent team mate in the crowd where the Sandaime Hokage was set to give his traditional speech in celebration of the _sealing _of the Kyuubi no Youko. Despite this, _most _of the village took this day to celebrate the _execution _of the container of the demon, most cared little that a nine year old boy had been sentenced to death just to help appease their bitter resentment of the demon he housed. Hinata found that she had little taste for the festival now, but she had to keep up appearances as the future head of the Hyuuga. So, as a result she stood near the front of the gathered crowd thankful that all the scents in the air helped to keep her tenacious fan-boy from finding her. A sudden movement from her left caught her attention and a smile to her lips as the other member of her team stood next to her, his jacket gone in exchange for a more respectful and classier suit. "Nice outfit Shino." She jabbed at him as he fidgeted to loosen the tie that he wore. His eyes glanced (or seemed to at least, he hadnt removed his glasses) at her before he resumed his struggle with the constricting cloth, "I could say the same to you Hinata-sama." She gave him a sheepish grin in return as she examined herself.

He spoke truthfully as she was dressed in a very delicate (and expensive) silk summer kimono. It was a inky blue that matched her hair, with exquisitely embroiled flowers of a golden thread. Her obi was similarly designed but was black instead. To top it off, around her shoulders she wore a dark cherry veil-like shroud similarly embroiled (Pic in my profile). All in all she had to agree that perhaps she was dressed a little over the top, but she really couldnt stop her father from forcing her to wear clothing that showed off her prestige as the future leader of Konohas most renown clan. So turning to him she shock her head slightly, "I know, over-the-top huh? Plus I think it makes my butt look big, what do you think?" She got more than she expected as he raised an eyebrow at her response, but was stopped from answering as the Third Fire-Shadow appeared on stage.

"My children, thank you for once again gathering to show your respects to those heroes who gave their lives to protect the village that they held dear from the wrath of the Buuju king, the Kyuubi no Kitsune." A loud cheer followed Sarutobi's words as the villagers and Shinobi alike agreed whole heartedly with their Hokage. "Yet, I fear that you have all forgotten what this day truly means in the history of our mighty village." Murmurs spread across the gathered crowd as they tried to figure out what their leader meant. Releasing a deep sigh the tired eyes of the Professor looked over his village. "By this I mean the shameless display of hatred that many of you feel you are allowed to display today." Some could be seen cringing at the Hokages disappointed tone while others stood defiant to their beliefs, ignoring these the elderly Hokage continued, "While it is indeed true that on this day we of Konohagakure no Saito suffered a great loss at the hands of a malignant force, we ourselves have become as much of a malevolent force in the way that we express ourselves to the memory of this day." Silence reigned as the Hokage paused to look into the masses. This however didnt last long before an angry voice broke thru.

"THAT DAMN DEMON KILLED OUR LOVED ONES!"

Soon many dissenting voices could be heard protesting the Hokages words. Hinata glanced up at the elderly man who closed his eyes as the yells and protests began to grow louder. She had never seen the man that ruled their village look so disappointed and ashamed at what she could only believe was the behavior of his cherished village. Finally after what seemed like an eternity he opened his eyes and spoke in a soft voice, "Minato was a fool to believe in all of you." In an instant all voices went into a shocked silence at the Hokages last words. Never before had the Hokage mentioned his predecessor in a negative way. "Yes, you all heard correctly. Minato Namikaze, the Yondaime Hokage was indeed a fool. No that is too lightly put, Minato was hopelessly and ridiculously optimistic to believe that this village and its inhabitants could ever overcome its hatred of the Kyuubi." Before the crowd could voice its objections Sarutobi continued, "I watched, for eight years, as the village tortured, scorned, beat and attempted to assassinate a child. Who's only crime was to try and live a normal life." Here he could not stop the yells of the villagers and shinobi,

"HE WAS A GOD-DAMNED DEMON IN DISGUISE!"

"IT KILLED OUR FAMILIES!"

"IT DESERVED TO DIE!"

"SILENCE!" The powerful voice of the Hokage roared as a wave of killer intent that was powerful enough to cause the battle hardened Jounin to tremble shot through the crowd. "I am disgusted an appalled by the behavior that this village has displayed throughout the years. To think that those who consider themselves citizens of a country that values friendship, compassion and goodwill would sink so low as to persecute a child for something he had no control over makes me almost wish that this village would disappear from the face of the earth to atone for its crimes." An uneasy silence filled the area as more and more people began to gather, keen to hear why so many other people were gathering. "Minato believed that the child he choose to bear the burden of having a demon sealed inside him would be seen as the hero he was. Unfortunately he was mistaken as this village proved in almost every way possible that they would not honor the dying wish of the leader that they so loved."

As Sarutobi paused Hinata took the chance to look around her and see how people were reacting. Her team mate as expected showed no outer sign, but she could hear his inner hive buzzing angrily. She assumed that it was because of what the villagers had done, she knew very well that the Aburame had always been more sympathetic towards the young jinchuuriki and had been one of the few clans to vote against his execution. Further a ways she could see the Ino-Shika-Cho trio as well as their parents, she was glad to see that the parents appeared remorseful towards their past actions. Behind them she could see her sensei and her boyfriend the Hokages estranged son Asuma. Both had been against the treatment that the village gave the young blond, but had been powerless to help in the majority of the cases. Far in the back she could just make out the figures of Yume Katsuragi and Hatake Kakashi. Katsuragi-sensei was easy to spot because of her barely restrained killing intent, it was no secret that she had been close to the young Naruto and cared for him on a sibling-like level. The sensei for team seven however was harder to pin point, but it was clear that he took was remorseful for his past actions. While hed never really done anything to the jinchuuriki, he also hadn't gone out of his way to help said child either. Something he promised hed fix. Her attention was drawn yet again as the Hokage continued to speak.

"As you are all undoubtedly aware one young boy by the name of Uzumaki Naruto was given the burden of containing inside him the very demon that rampaged and ravaged our village. You are also aware of the fact that on the night of September 28 said child was sentenced to execution by the council of Konoha." Cheers from most of the crowd rang out at the Hokages words and a look of great disgust passed unnoticed by most on the elderly mans face. "As I was saying, young Naruto, a child of only nine was sentenced to death and was according to records executed the following morning." Slightly more subdued cheers followed this as many remembered what also happened that day. "Now according to village law Uzumaki Naruto is dead. However, recently I have found some rather interesting information that was hidden deep in the records of said child." Muttering began to spread across the masses again as the Hokage continued, "Indeed imagine my surprise when I find the birth certificate of said child. Allow me to read it to you if you please." The atmosphere tensed as the Sandaime pulled a scroll from his inner robes. And began to read,

__

Name: Uzumaki _Naruto_

Born: October 10

Sex: Male

Father: Unknown

Mother: Unknown

Blood Type: Unknown

Eyes: Blue

Hair: Blond

Delivery Nurse: Unknown

Nothing was said as the Hokage put the scroll back into his pocket, "Convenient isnt it? That nothing was known about the child who was to carry a huge burden. If anything I think that it was a little to convenient, so I did a more thorough search and imagine what I found?" From his pocket he pulled another scroll and began to read,

__

Name: Namikaze Uzumaki Naruto

Born: October 10

Sex: Male

Father: Minato Namikaze

Mother: Uzumaki Kushina

Blood Type: A

Hair: Blond

Eyes: Blue

Delivery Nurse: Otohime Rin

Silence followed before yells could be heard coming from the crowd. The Hokage let out a low chuckle as he watched the shock and panic make its way through the crowd. "That is correct, Uzumaki Naruto was a false name created by the Yondaime to protect his son from the enemies he had made. Minato Namikaze sacrifised his only son to save his village from destruction. And how did the village repay him? By executing his only legitimate heir. I hope you are all satisfied now." The Sandaime made to leave the stage when two figures appeared before him, his former team mates and now head advisors in the Council stood before him.

"Just one minute Hiruzen, you very well know that we never knew that that child was the heir of Minato!"

"She is very much correct Sarutobi. You also know that we only declared him dead because you used your powers to help him escape from the village!"

The crowd quieted once again at the words of Homura and Koharu, indeed everyone was even more surprised when the Sandaime himself began to chuckle. "Why thank you very much for bringing up that fact. Indeed Uzumaki Naruto did die on the morning of September 29 in accordance with the village listings. You are also correct however in the fact that Naruto still lives. And so without further ado I welcome back to the village of Konohagakure no Saito, the son of the Yondaime Hokage, _Namikaze Naruto!"_ A sudden explosion of smoke filled the stage as the crowd waited with abated breath as the smoke began to gradually clear revealing a blond haired boy in a weird assortment of clothing, but the resemblance was undeniable as many turned to look at the portrait of the Yondaime that was customarily hung and compared the boy before them to the one in the picture.

"Konban wa all you Konoha bastards! Im back~" Naruto taunted/introduced himself as he sang out the last part. All was quiet for a few moments. Then all hell broke loose.

**Kuroi-Yasha: Well, thats chapter 5. Sorry it took so long. Cant promise the next one will be up any sooner, but Ill do my best. Many thanks to all my reviewers on FF. net, MM. net and AFF. Net. Thank you for all your support! Hopefully see you soon!**


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